Plate 212.— GAHNIA PROCERA. 



Family CYPERACE^.] [Genus GAHNIA, Forst. 



Gahnia procera, Forst. Char. Gen. 52 : Hook. /. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 306 ; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 794. 



This very distinct species was discovered by the two Forsters in Dusky Sound 

 in 1773 during Cook's second voyage to New Zealand. After the return of the 

 expedition to Enghind the Forsters described the plant in their " Cliaracteres Gene- 

 rum " as the type of a new genus, under the name of Gahnia procera ; and it appeared 

 under the same title in George Forster's subsequently issued " Prodromus." The 

 descriptions given in both these works are vague and incomplete ; but a much fuller 

 account of the plant is quoted from Forster's manuscripts in A. Richard's " Flore." 

 For a considerable period no further information was obtained ; but between the 

 years 1848-51 it was gathered at Port Preservation by Lyall ; and in 1864. or there- 

 abouts, it was obtained by Mr. Buchanan in the south-west of Otago. Since then it 

 has been proved to have a wide range in the western and southern portions of the 

 South Island, from the Karamea River to the Sounds of the south-west coast of 

 Otago, and from thence to the Bluif and Stewart Island. It is usually found in open 

 forests, and ascends to an altitude of 2,500 ft. 



Gahnia procera is one of the most strongly marked species of the genus, and 

 can be distinguished at a glance by the stout moderately tall culms, large purplish- 

 black leaf -sheaths and spikelets, long empty glumes, and large red -brown nut. As 

 in all the New Zealand species, the filaments elongate to an extraordinary extent 

 after the fall of the pollen, and ultimately reach the length of from 1 in. to 2 in., or 

 many times the length of the flowering-glumes. In most instances they remain 

 attached to the base of the nut when it drops from the flower, and as the other end 

 of the filament is usually entangled with the glumes or with the filaments of other 

 flowers, the nut remains swinging by the filaments but otherwise quite free from 

 the spikelet (see fig. 6 of the accompanying plate). The nut of G. procera is remark- 

 able for its stony hardness, and for being transversely grooved within. As the seed 

 completely fills the cavity of the nut, it presents the appearance, when withdrawn 

 from the nut, of being surrounded by conspicuous elevated ridges or laminse (see 

 figs. 7 to 10). 



The genus Gahnia comprises about thirty species. Of these, tliirteen or four- 

 teen are known from Australia ; eight from New Zealand ; six or eight from 

 Polynesia, from New Caledonia to the Fiji Islands, Taliiti, and the Sandwich 

 Islands ; and one species extends as far north as Malaya. 



Plate •212. Gahnia procera, drawn from specimens collected by Mr. Towusoii in the vicinity of 

 Westport. Fig. 1, spikelet (x2); 2, third glume (enlarged); 3, fourth or inner glume and style- 

 branches, also the lower part of the filaments ( x 4) ; 4, anther (enlarged) ; 5, ovary and style-branches 

 (enlarged) ; 6, ripe nut swinging from the spikelet by the entangled filaments (x 2) ; 7, section of nut ; 

 8, the same with tlie seed removed ; 9, seed ; 10, section of seed ; 11, embryo. (All enlarged.) 



