Plate 202.-BULBINELLA HOOKEKl. 



Family LILIACE^.] ^q^^^,^ BULBINELLA. Kunth. 



Bulbinella Hooked, Benth. and Hook. f. Gen. Plant, iii, 784 ; CTiee.sem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 718. 



Although the species now figured is one of the most widely distributed 

 subalpine plants in the Dominion, in some localities forming a large percentaee 

 of the vegetation, it was not gathered by any of the early investigators of the New 

 Zealand flora. So far as I can ascertain, it was not observed until 1847, when it 

 was collected by Mr. Colenso during his second journey to the Ruahine Range 

 About the same time, or shortly afterwards, it was gathered by Mr. Bidwill in the 

 Wairau Valley, Nelson ; and a little later by Dr. Lyall in the southern portion of 

 the bouth Island It attains its northern limit on Mount Egmont and in the Taupo 

 district from whence it stretches southwards as far as Stewart Island In the 

 Worth Island I am not aware of any locality at a lower elevation than 2,000 ft • 

 but in the southern portion of the South Island it comes down to sea-level' 

 or nearly so. 



Bulbinella Hooheri is most plentiful in moist peaty soil, or in peaty swamps 

 where not too wet. But it is by no means confined to such situations, and often 

 occurs in abundance on comparatively dry slopes or on open saddles. Of late years 

 It has increased enormously in almost the whole of the open subalpine country 

 along the chain of the Southern Alps, mainly through its power of resisting fire 

 and from the fact that as a rule it is distasteful to stock. As far back as 1878 the 

 date of my first visit to the Nelson mountains, I was informed by the late Mr J 

 Kerr that its increase in the Wairau Valley was most noteworthy and in 

 subsequent visits I was able to confirm the statement and to extend it to other 

 districts. Similar observations have been recorded fr.mi other parts of the South 

 Island ; and Mr. R. M. Laing has proved that the allied B. Rossii is increasing its 

 numbers m Campbell Island in a very similar manner. 



Bulbinella Hookeri is an erect perennial herb with a rosette of green or glaucous- 

 green leaves springing from the top of the bundle of fleshy fibres which constitute 

 the root. From the centre of the leaves rises the scape-like peduncle or flowering- 

 stem, quite bare of cauhne leaves, and ending in a raceme of more or less crowded 

 bright-yellow flowers. It varies greatly in size : on the Mount Arthur Plateau 

 iNelson, I have seen specimens barely 4 in. high growing within a few yards of others 

 attaining quite 2 ft. or even more. The proportionate width of the leaves, the 

 length of the racemes, and the number of flowers are also highly variable ' Up 

 to the present time, however, I have been unable to sort these forms into systematic 

 varieties distinguished by stable characters. 



The genus Bulbinella, as characterized in the " Genera Plantarum " and " Die 

 Naturlichen Pflanzenfamihen," consists of twelve or thirteen species, all natives 

 of the Cape of Good Hope except the two species found in New Zealand. It is 

 often quoted as evidencing a relationship between the New Zealand and South 

 African floras; but the New Zealand species differ greatly in habit and other 

 characters from the South African ; and it must be borne in mind that Bulbinella 

 and other genera are separated from the widespread genus Anthericum more by 

 arbitrary characters than by structural differences of importance. 



Plate 202. Bulbinella Hookeri, drawn from specimens colJected on Jollie's Pass, Hanmer at an 

 elevation of 3,000 ft. Figs. 1 and 2, side and upper view of flower (x 3) ; 3 and 4, front and back \4ew 

 of anthers (x 6) ; 5, ovary and style (x 5) ; 6, transverse section of ovary (x 7) ; 7 ripe capsule 

 (x 3) ; 8, capsule dehiscing (x 3) ; 9, seed (enlarged) ; 10, longitudinal section of seed (enlarged) 



