Laing. — On some Species of Delesseria. 447 



else a winter form ; but I have had in my collection for several 

 years a specimen from the Mongonui Beach, at the Chatham 

 Islands, which agrees in all points of specific value with the 

 figm'e of Montagne, and with the descriptions both of Mon- 

 tagne and Harvey. I append a description of the plant. 

 During the Christmas holidays of last year I collected the 

 same species amongst the drift- weed at St. Clair, and after- 

 wards, in company with Mr. J. Crosby Smith, I obtained it 

 growing epiphytically on Carpophijlliim, at Wycliffe Bay, 

 Otago Peninsula. 



{b.) The description given in the "Handbook of the New 

 Zealand Flora," although very imperfect, agrees almost per- 

 fectly with the specimens I have collected ; but the following 

 instructive note occurs in Agardh's " De Algis Mariuis Novae 

 Zelandise," p. 25, under the name D. montagneana : " Speci- 

 mina D. crassinervia, Harv., nulla e N. Zelandia vidi, ex 

 insulis Falkland, manu ni fallor Harveyi nomine D. crassi- 

 nervicz inscripta, me judice ad speciem admodum diversam 

 pertinent, quam D. p>hi/llophorcB nomine descripsi." 



Now, as it is quite clear from the description of D. crassi- 

 ncrvia and D. phyllophora (J. Ag., Bidr. Fl. Syst., p. 55) that 

 they are distinct plants, and if Agardh is right in supposing 

 that his specimen of D. crassinervia from the Falklauds is in- 

 scribed in Harvey's handwriting, it is quite clear also that the 

 latter has confused two distinct plants under this name. Be 

 this as it may, it does not in any way interfere with the 

 validity of the species D. crassinervia, and is only introduced 

 here in order to avoid, if possible, subsequent confusion and 

 misconception as to the limits of the species. 



(c.) Agardh, while not definitely rejecting the species D. 

 crassinervia, doubtfully splits it up into three — viz., D. pliyllo- 

 pliora, J. Ag., D. montagneana, J. Ag., and D. epiglossum, 

 J. Ag. — and hesitatingly admits the possibility of a fourth, 

 the true D. crassinervia, Mont. I expect Agardh's three 

 species are genuine, but they are certainly distinct from my 

 plant, and not D. crassinervia. As I have already explained, 

 D. montagneana is intended to replace doubtfully D. crassi- 

 nervia, Mont. ; D. j^^iyliopliora is D. crassinervia, Harv. (from 

 Falkland Islands), but it is not at all clear to me why he 

 should consider D. epiglossum as possibly in part equivalent to 

 Harvey's plants, unless he doubted the accuracy of the de- 

 scription given in the Handbook. It now only remains to 

 show how the three species mentioned above can be readily 

 distinguished from my plant, which is, I believe, the true D. 

 crassinervia, Mont. ; and this is easily done. Indeed, the fol- 

 lowing note from Agardh, taken in conjunction with the one 

 already quoted, not only does this for us, but clearly explains 

 how all the confusion has arisen : — 



