Plate 219.— EHRHARTA COLENSOL 



Family GRAMINE^.] [Genus EHRHARTA, Thunb. 



Ehrharta Colensoi, Hook. /. Fl. Nov. Zel. i, 288 ; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 851. 



Ehrharta Colensoi was origiually discovered by Mr. Colenso in his first journey 

 to the Ruahine Range, in February, 1845, when he found it growing in " cushion- 

 like patches, or large tufts, scattered here and there," on the crest of the range. 

 For many years very little attention was paid to the New Zealand grasses, and it 

 was not until 1875 that the plant was again seen, when it was collected on the 

 Tararua Mountains by Mr. H. H. Tr-avers. In 1880 I observed it on the mountains 

 above Arthur's Pass, Canterbury ; and in tlie same year it was detected on Mount 

 Arthur, Nelson, by Mr. McKay. It is now known to be fairly plentiful in mountain 

 districts from the Ruahine Mountains to Lake Te Anau. Its altitudinal range 

 is from 3,000 ft. to 5,500 ft. 



The genus Ehrharta has two species in New Zealand ; the second one 

 [E. Thomsoni) being a much smaller plant than E. Colensoi, with a more southern 

 distribution, its range extending from Mount Rochfort, near Westport, to the south- 

 west of Otago, Stewart Island, and the Auckland Islands. Outside New Zealand, 

 there are twenty-five species in South Africa, Arabia, and the Mauritius. Two of 

 the African species have become natui-alized in Australia, and one in India. The 

 genus is very close to the Australian and New Zealand Microlcena ; in fact, the 

 two New Zealand species appear to me to be nearer to Microlcena than Ehrharta. 

 Ehrharta usually has six stamens, but both E. Colensoi and E. Thomsoni have two 

 only. In Microlcena the number of stamens is either two or four. 



Plate 219. Ehrharta Colensoi, drawn from specimens collected on the Momit Arthur Plateau, 

 Nelson, at an altitude of 4,000 ft. Fig. 1, ligule of leaf ; 2, tip of leaf ; 3, spikelet ; 4, 5, and 6, the 

 three lower glumes of the spikelet ; 7, upper or fourth glume, fiow.-ring-glume. and palea ; 8, upper 

 glume seen separately ; 9, flowermg-glume ; 10, palea ; 11, lodicules ; 12, stamens, with ovaiy and 

 styles ; 13, seed. (A.11 enlarged.) 



