Pj.atk 211.— CLADIUM SINCLAlRll. 



Family CYPERACEiE.] [Genus CLADIUM, P. Browne. 



Cladium Sinclairii, Ilvok. j. Haiidh. N.Z. Fl. 305 ; Cheese.m. Man. N.Z. Fl. 785. 



The discovery of this handsome plant is due to Banks and Solander, who 

 collected it at Tolaga Bay in October, 1769, during Cook's first visit to New Zealand. 

 It does not seem to have been observed again until Mr. Colenso gathered it in the 

 early "forties " at the Bay of Islands, and in 1846 in Hawke's Bay. Shortly after- 

 wards it was collected near Auckland by Dr. Sinclair, and at Mercury Bay by 

 Mr. JolifEe. It is now known to be abundant in the northern portion of the North 

 Island, from the North Cape to the Thames Valley ; and from thence more sparingly 

 southwards to the East Cape and Hawke's Bay on the eastern side of the Island, and 

 to the Wanganui River on the west. Its altitudinal range is from sea-level to 

 •2,000 ft. 



C. Sinclairii is usually found on the faces of damp cUffs, either by the sea or 

 along the banks of rivers ; but it is also frequently seen in damp places in Leptos- 

 permum scrub. It forms large clumps often several feet in diameter, and frequently 

 attains a height of 5 ft. or even more. The broad and flat deep-green equitant leaves 

 give the plant a very striking ajjpearance, and we can readily agree with Dr. Solander, 

 who in his original discription stated that in the absence of flowers it could be easily 

 taken for an iris or gladiolus. The large excessively branched nodding panicles, 

 with their innumerable rich dark red-brown velvety spikelets, are really very 

 handsome, and it is somewhat surprising that the plant has not found its way into 

 cultivation. 



G. Sinclairii falls into the section Vincentia of the genus Cladium, which is 

 mainly distinguished by the stipitate triquetrous nut, which is narrowed both to 

 the base and apex (see fig. 5 in the accompanying plate). In addition to the New 

 Zealand plant, the section includes eight other species, of which three are found 

 in South America, one of them extending to Mauritius as well, one in Juan Fernandez, 

 two in Polynesia, one in Lord Howe Island, and one in Sumatra. 



It should be mentioned that in C. Sinclairii the filaments are persistent, and 

 elongate greatly during the ripening of the fruit, to the base of which they are 

 usually attached. When the nut drops from the glumes it often remains swinging 

 by the entangled filaments, exactly as in Gahnia (see the following plate, and 

 fig. 6 of the present one). 



Plate 211. Cladium SmdairU, drawn from specimens collected in the vicinity of Auckland. 

 Fig. 1, small portion of inflorescence ; 2, a single spikelet ; 3, a single flower with its glume ; 4, anther ; 

 5, ovary with style and style-branches ; 6, ripe nut swinging from the spikelet by the entangled 

 persistent filaments (all enlarged) ; 7, a single culm, with leaves and inflorescence (reduced to one- 

 third natural size) 



