Plate 229.— POA POLYPHYLLA. 



Family GRAMINE^.] [Genus POA, Linn. 



Poa polyphylla, Hack, in Trans. ^.Z. hut. xxxv (1903), 383 ; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 903. 



Poa polyphylla was originally discovered by myself in the Kermadec Islands in 

 August, 1887, during an expedition made for the purpose of annexing the group to 

 the Colony of New Zealand. I then found it to be abundant on cliffs on both 

 Sunday Island and Macaulay Island ; but my visit was made too early in the season 

 to allow me to obtain good flowering specimens, although one or two old panicles 

 of the previous year's growth enabled me to refer it to the genus Poa. For many 

 years no additional specimens were obtained, but in 1900, during one of the 

 periodical visits made to the group by the Government steamer " Hinemoa," Miss 

 Shakespear obtained an excellent series, which she kindly placed at my disposal. 

 From this material Professor Hackel was able to describe the species under the 

 name already quoted. In 1908 Mr. W. R. B. Oliver spent ten months on Sunday 

 Island for the purpose of examining its vegetation, and found the Poa to be abund- 

 ant. He records it from " Coastal and inland rocks and cliffs, landslip (Denham 

 Bay), Sunday Island ; cliffs, Macaulay Island " (Trans. N.Z. Inst. vol. xlii (1910), 163). 



According to my own observations in 1887, Poa polyphylla often forms a con- 

 spicuous portion of the vegetation on cliffs and rocky slopes on the northern side 

 of Sunday Island, the slender drooping foliage being everywhere in evidence. The 

 stems are often much branched, and are remarkable for the number of leaves, which 

 are usually more or less distichously arranged. As for the relationships of the species. 

 Professor Hackel considers it to be an ally of P. anceps, from which, however, it 

 totally differs in habit. In the Manual I have placed it next to P. ramosissima. 



Plate 229. Poa polyphylla, drawu from specimens collected on seacliffs on Simday Island, 

 Kermadec Group. Fig. 1, tip of leaf (x 8) ; 2, ligule of leaf (x 8) ; 3, four-flowered spikelet (x 6) ; 

 4 and 5, empty glumes (x8); 6, three-flowered spikelet, with the empty glumes removed (x8); 

 7, palea (x 8) • 8, lodicules, stamens, and ovary (x 8) ; 9, lodicule more highly magnified (x 20). 



