Rubiacea. | FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND. 111 
subacutis obtusisve in petiolum brevem angustatis supra planis concavisve subtus convexis, stipulis 
brevibus, floribus 9 parvis axillaribus solitariis calyce brevissime 4-lobo, corolla tubulosa ad medium 4-fida, 
baccis magnis carnosis 2-4-coccis. Ml. Antarct. p. 98. t. 16 A. 
Has. Mountains of the Northern Island. Lake Taupo, etc., Colenso. 
A small, decidedly creeping species, with long, half-herbaceous, stout, whitish stems, growing amongst moss, 
rooting everywhere, and with short, smooth branches. Leaves crowded, thick and coriaceous, i-i inch long, broadly 
obovate or elliptic-ovate, blunt or sharp, plane or convex above, nerveless. Stipules short, broad. Flowers axillary, 
small; female alone known. Calyx short, deeply four-lobed ; lobes blunt. Corolla with a long tube, cleft to the 
middle into linear erect or slightly-spreading lobes. Styles exserted, two to four, sometimes united towards the 
base. Berry fleshy, as large as a pea, with two to four plano-convex seeds. 
19. Coprosma pumila, Hook. fil.; fruticulus repens, glaberrimus v. foliis junioribus ciliatis, ramulis 
brevibus suberectis foliosis, foliis parvis (4-4 unc.) longis lineari- v. elliptico-obovatis obtusis acutisve 
rigidis coriaceo-carnosis in petiolum brevem angustatis, floribus magnis axillaribus sessilibus, calyce brevi 
4-fido, corolla tubulosa 4-fida, filamentis longissime exsertis, baccis carnosis 2-coccis. Hook. fil. in Lond. 
Journ. Bot. v. 6. p. 465. FI. Antarct. t. 16 B. sub nom. C. repens. 
Has. Northern Island. Mountains of the interior, Colenso. 
A small species, very similar to C. repens in most particulars, but the foliage is narrower, flowers larger, less 
deeply divided, and the berry has only two seeds. It is found in Tasmania, whence male specimens in flower were 
figured in * Flora Antarctica.’ Both the stamens and style are very much exserted ; the former have long pendulous 
anthers. The flowers are as long as or longer than the leaves, rather inflated, or campanulate towards the mouth. 
Gen. II. OPERCULARIA, 4. Rich. 
Calycis limbus 3-5-lobus. Corolla 3-5-fida. Stamina 1-5. Semina sublævia.—Herbæ basi suffruti- 
culose. Folia opposita, utrinque stipulata. Capitula globosa, terminalia, aut ex dichotomiis ramorum orta, 
pedunculata aut subsessilia. — Involucrum universale 0, aut foliis 2 stipulisque A parvis constans. Tnvo- 
lucra partialia gamophylla, acute 8-10-dentata. DC. 
Herbaceous plants, woody at the root, with opposite stipulate leaves, and flowers collected into dense, globose, 
terminal or axillary, sessile or pedunculate heads, which are surrounded by toothed partial involueres of many 
leaves united together. Calyw three- to five-lobed. Corolla three- to five-lobed. Stamens one to five. Capsules 
opening like little boxes, whence the name (from operculum, a lid).—This genus is almost peculiar to Australia and 
Tasmania, where the species are numerous; I know nothing of the two described below, of which there are no speci- 
mens in Cunningham's Herbarium. 
1. Opercularia diphylla, DC. ; “ capitulis ex dichotomia ramorum stipitatis spheericis, involucris par- 
tialibus setoso-hispidis, in capitulis pluribus 3—4-floris, corollis 4-andris." DC. Prodr. v. 4. p. 616. A. 
Cunn. Prodr. 
Has. Northern Island, Banks and Solander. 
2. Opercularia aspera, Gertn.; “foliis oblongis scabris venosis, floribus capitatis pedunculatis axilla- 
ribus." DC. 7. c. p. 616. A. Cunn. Prodr. Rubioides aspera, Banks et Sol. MSS. 
Has. Northern Island, Banks and Solander. Bay of Islands, R. Cunningham. 
Gen. III. NERTERA, Banks et Sol. 
Flores hermaphroditi. Calycis tubus ovoideus; limbus truncatus v. obscure 4-dentatus. Corolla 
tubulosa v. infundibuliformis, 4-loba. Stamina 4; filamenta basi corolle inserta; antheris longe exsertis. 
