72 PORTULACES. (Montia. 
2. MONTIA, Linn. 
A small glabrous herb. Leaves opposite, slightly fleshy. 
Flowers small, axillary or shortly racemose. Sepals 2, ovate, per- 
sistent. Petals 5, united at the base into a 5-lobed corolla, split 
open on one side. Stamens 3, rarely 5, inserted on the petals. 
Ovary free; ovules 8. Capsule globose, 3-valved, 3-seeded. Seeds 
nearly orbicular. 
A monotypic genus, widely distributed in the north and south temperate 
zones. 
1. M. fontana, Linn. Sp. Plant. 87. — A slender perfectly gla- 
brous branching herb, forming dense tufts 1-5in. high, sometimes 
longer and weaker when growing in water. Leaves opposite, +—1 in. 
long, linear-lanceolate or spathulate, acute or subacute, quite entire. 
Flowers minute, solitary or in 2—3-flowered racemes, drooping. 
Petals slightly longer than. the sepals. Capsules small.—Hook. f. 
Fl. Antarct..13; Fl. Nov. Zel.i. 74; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 27; Kark, 
Students’ Fi. 65, 
NortH anp SoutH IsnANnps, STEWART JSLAND, AUCKLAND, CAMPBELL, 
ANTIPODES, AND MAcquaRiE Istanps: Abundant in watery places, from Rotorua 
and Taranaki southwards. Altitudinal range from sea-level to 4000 ft. 
3. HECTORELLA, Hook. f. 
A small densely tufted glabrous perennial. Leaves small, 
densely imbricated, coriaceous, entire. Flowers almost sessile 
amongst the uppermost leaves. Sepals 2, short, truncate. 
Petals 5, connate at the base, thickened below the tip. Stamens 5, 
inserted on the tube of the corolla, and alternate with the petals ; 
anthers linear-oblong. Ovary free; ovules 4-5, erect from the 
base of the cell; funicles slender; style erect; stigmas 1-3, linear, 
papillose. Capsule membranous, equalling the sepals ; seeds 2-4. 
A monotypic genus confined to New Zealand; not closely allied to any 
other. 
1. H. ceespitosa, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 27.—Stems short, 
stout, densely tufted, with the leaves on almost as thick as the 
little finger, forming compact rounded cushions 2—8in. diam. and 
1-3in. high. Leaves very numerous, closely imbricated in many 
series, §—-+1n. long, broadly triangular-ovate to linear-oblong with 
a broad base, thin and membranous below the middle, coriaceous 
and keeled above; margins and tip thickened; yeins reticulated. 
Flowers small, white, very shortly peduncled, forming a ring round 
the top of the branches among the uppermost leaves, often uni- 
sexual, the staminate ones being the smallest. Sepals concave, 
keeled. Petals much longer than the sepals. Capsule globose, 
membranous, as long as the sepals. Seeds 2-4, broadly ovoid, 
smooth and shining.—Hook. f. in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 1046; Kirk, 
