ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW. 



BULLETIN 



* OF 



MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 



No. 3.] 



[1908 



XV -THE NEW ZEALAND SPECIES OF 



RHODOPHYLLIS. 



A, D. Cotton. 



The New Zealand species of Rhodophyllis are not numerous, 

 nor are they difficult to determine, yet, during recent years, 

 workers in that country have found it no easy task to identify 

 their plants, and practically impossible to reconcile statements 

 made by different writers. This difficulty ma)' be accounted for 

 (1) by the brevity of the diagnoses, and, (2) by the fact that 

 Nos. 371-373 of Harvey's Australian Algae were sent out wrongly 

 named. J. Agardh who, in his Epicrisis, endeavoured to correct 

 Harvey's Algae did but make matters more complicated. 



The Kew Herbarium is fortunate in possessing type specimens 



of all the five species that were originally recorded as occurring 



in New Zealand. From a study of these it has been possible to 



gain a clear idea of the species in question, and to detect the 



errors above referred to. The results of this study are given 

 below. 



In the revised descriptions emphasis is laid on the arrangement of 

 the cortical cells. The character of this tissue will be found to be of 

 great value, especially in the case of sterile specimens, in deter- 

 mining the species. Attention may also be directed to the fact 

 that the size of the tetrasporangium varies considerably within 

 the genus ; this, though apparent in the case of the New Zealand 



species, is even more marked when a wider survey of the genus is 

 taken. 



In addition to an examination of the Kew and British Museum 

 specimens, the writer has had the advantage of studying the 

 material in the Herbarium of Mr. R. M. Laing which he kindly 

 sent from Christchurch, N. Z. This collection proved valuable in 

 supplying data as to distribution, and also contained a species 

 hitherto undescribed. 



1375 Wt35 4/08 D & 8 29 31398 



