Juncus. | JUNCACEE. 727 
Monog. Junc. 228. J. communis, H. Mey. Junc. 12; Benth. Fl. 
Austral. vii. 128; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 290. J. luxurians, Col. 
in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix. (1887) 269. J. polyanthemus, Buchen. 
in Engl. Bot. Jahr. xxi. (1895) 261. 
Nortx anp Souru Isnanps, Stewarr Is~taAnp: Abundant in damp places 
throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft. Www. November—February. 
Under the name of J. effusus I have for the present placed several forms which, 
though not exactly agreeing with the typical J. effusus, appear to be too close to 
it to be considered as distinct species. One of these has the tall soft stems with 
continuous pith, lax pale inflorescence, and small broadly obovoid almost retuse 
capsule of the typical state, and to my mind cannot possibly be separated from 
it. A second and most abundant variety has more slender rigid and wiry 
stems, with interrupted pith, and the capsule is rounded and imperfectly 
3-celled. This I take to be the J. polyanthemus of Buchenau. Closely allied to 
it is a still more slender form with the inflorescence split up into small rounded 
glomerules, almost after the fashion of J. vaginatus (australis, Hook. f.), but 
differing altogether in habit and in the small capsule. Buchenau, in his 
monograph of the order, placed it under J. pauciflorus as var. Cheesemanii, 
although wanting the ovoid exserted capsule of that species. He now refers it to 
his J. polyanthemus. How far I am correct in merging the above, together with 
other less prominent varieties, under one species can only be determined by a 
leisurely and comprehensive study of the whole of the New Zealand forms, 
based upon more numerous specimens than have hitherto been collected, and 
checked by observations in the field. J. effusus, as ordinarily understood, is 
almost cosmopolitan in its distribution. 
0. J. maritimus, Lam. Encycl. ii. 264; var. australiensis, 
Buchen. Monog. Junc. 257.— Densely tufted, tall, stout, dark- 
coloured, 1-3 ft. high. Rhizome short, thick, horizontal. Stems 
crowded on the rhizome, rigid, wiry, terete, pungent, furnished 
at the base with several chestnut-brown sheathing scales, the 
upper 1 or 2 of which are produced into terete leaves similar to 
the stems but shorter than them. Inflorescence lateral; cymes 
large, lax, irregularly branched; branches strict, erect. Flowers 
about 4in. long, dark chestnut -brown, usually aggregated into 
little clusters. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acute, the inner 
rather shorter. Stamens 6; anthers linear. Capsule ovoid- 
trigonous, acute, only slightly exceeding the perianth, dark chest- 
nut-brown. Seeds obovoid, very shortly tailed—J. maritimus, A. 
Rich, Fi. Now. Zel. 145; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 292; Raoul, Choix, 
40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 263; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 289. 
Nort anp SourH Isnanps: Brackish-water marshes or sands from the 
North Cape to Banks Peninsula, abundant. Inland on the shores of Lake 
Rotorua, and by the Waikato River near Orakeikorako. December— 
January. 
Also common on most parts of the Australian coast. It differs from the 
typical state of the species, which has a wide distribution in the north 
temperate zone, in the darker colour of the whole plant, in the smaller and 
more densely aggregated darker flowers, in the shorter capsule, and in the 
less evident tails to the seeds. 
