Peperomia. | PIPERACEE. 597 
mersed at the base.—P. Urvilleana, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 356; 
A. Cunn. Precur. n. 324; Raoul, Choix, 42; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. 
Zel. i. 228; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 254. Piper simplex, Endl. Prodr. 
Fl. Norfl. 37. 
KeRMADEC Isnanps, NortH Istanp: On rocks and trees in damp shady 
places as far south as Taranaki and the northern portion of the Wellington Pro- 
vince. Flowers most of the year. 
Also found in Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. I suspect that 
Colenso’s P. muricatulata (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 393) is a large-leaved 
state, but there are no specimens in his herbarium, and it is impossible to be 
sure from the description alone. 
Orpver LVI. CHLORANTHACEA. 
Shrubs or trees, rarely herbs, generally aromatic. Leaves oppo- 
site, usually toothed, petioles often connate at the base; stipules 
small, subulate. Flowers small, unisexual, in terminal or axillary 
spikes or panicles. Perianth wanting (rarely present in the female 
flowers). Stamens either 1 or 3 connate; filaments short and 
thick; anthers 2-celled, or when there are 3 the lateral 1-celled. 
Ovary 1-celled; stigma either sessile or style very short ; ovule soli- 
tary, orthotropous, pendulous from the top of the cell. Fruit a 
small globose or ovoid drupe. Seed pendulous; testa membranous; 
albumen copious, fleshy; embryo minute, remote from the hilum, 
radicle inferior. 
A small and unimportant order, comprising 3 genera and 25 species, mostly 
tropical or subtropical. 
1. ASCARINA, Forst. 
Aromatic shrubs or small trees; branchlets jointed at the nodes. 
Leaves opposite, serrate, penniveined ; petioles connate at the base 
into a short sheath; stipules small, subulate. Flowers minute, 
dicecious, arranged in simple or branched spikes. Perianth want- 
ing in both sexes. Male flowers: Stamen solitary; anther sessile, 
linear-oblong, cylindric, 2-celled ; cells parallel, dehiscing longitudi- 
nally. Female flowers: Ovary naked, ovoid or subglobose; stigma 
sessile, truncate. Drupe small, putamen fragile. 
A small genus of three species, all very closely allied, found in New Zealand 
and the Pacific islands from New Caledonia eastwards to Tahiti. 
Leaves 2-4in., ovate- or Mariani yr acuminate. 
Anthers fin. long .. 1. A. lanceolata. 
Leaves 1-2in., elliptic- oblong or obovate- oblong, obtuse 
or acute. Anthers ;, in. long a a «» 2. A. lucida. 
1. A. lanceolata, Hook. f. in Jowrn. Linn. Soc. (1856) 127.—A 
perfectly glabrous bushy shrub or small tree 6-15 ft. high, rarely 
more; branches dark purplish-red, striate when dry. Leaves 
9-4 in. long including the petiole, ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceo- 
