Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlvi. (1902), No. \%. 9 



is remarkable for being an Australian species found on 

 Chatham Island, but not in New Zealand. One of the 

 native flaxes, belonging to a very remarkable Liliaceous 

 genus {Phormhun), highly characteristic of New Zealand, 

 may be found growing on the rocks, and so also may 

 Piinelea arenaria. The common DesmoscJiceniis spiralis 

 (Cyperaceae) of the New Zealand coast, occurs on sandy 

 places, but does not appear to have been very successful 

 in holding the sand together, a task which is now being 

 performed by the introduced Marram grass already 

 referred to. 



By far the most remarkable of the coastal plants, 

 however, is the so-called Chatham Island Lily, Myoso- 

 tidiuin nobile, really a gigantic forget-me-not, which 

 luxuriates in the sand a short way above high-water 

 mark. Its large, glossy and to some extent succulent 

 leaves, and its general habit, remind one forcibly of young 

 rhubarb, while its bunches of beautiful blue flowers at 

 once reveal its true affinity, though the flowers are very 

 much larger than in ordinary forget-me-nots. This very 

 interesting plant has a remarkable distribution, being found 

 only on the Chatham Islands and the Snares (near Stewart 

 Island, south of New Zealand). Unfortunately it has been 

 already nearly exterminated by stock on Chatham Island, 

 but it will doubtless be preserved as a garden plant, being 

 very readily raised from seed. 



Even such a hasty survey of the Flora as we have been 

 able to make, shews us that it is essentially a detached 

 fragment of the Flora of New Zealand. It exhibits, how- 

 ever, when compared with that of New Zealand, many 

 striking deficiencies, such as the entire absence of Conifers, 

 Beeches, Fuchsias, most if not all of the Myrtacese, the 

 Carmichaelias and the "Cabbage Trees" {Cordyline\yN\{\\^ 

 at the same time it possesses a large proportion of peculiar 



