52 



FLORA OE NEW ZEALAND. 



VLycopodiacea, 



A very large genus, whose species are generally very widely diffused, several being found in most climates and 

 and latitudes. The genns has been monographed by M. Spring in the 15th and 24th volumes of the Memoirs of the 

 Brussels Academy .-Fronds erect from a creeping rhizome, climbing or pendulous, leafy. Leaves small, distichous, 

 trifarious quadrifarious, or imbricated. Capsules in sessile or peduncled, terete, angled, or square spikes, or sessile 

 in the axils of the leaves, often of two kinds : the most usual are kidney-shaped, sessile, one-celled, bursting longi- 

 tudinally all round, and full of minute trigonous spores, each marked with three diverging lines; other capsules are 

 two- or three-lobed, two- or three-valved, and contain one to six large spores. (Name from Awos, a wolf, and 

 ■rrovs, afoot; from some fancied resemblance.) 



§ a. Selago.— Leaves imbricated all round the stem. Capsules axillary in the upper leaves or in the bracts of 



terminal sessile quadrifarious spikes. 

 1. Lycopodium Selago, L. ; erectura v. basi decumbens, caulibus csespitosis ramosis strictis brevibus 

 subcylindraceis obtusis (nunc proliferis), foliis parvis arete imbricatis erectis (rarius squarroso-patentibus) 

 sabulato-lanceolatis acuminatis acutisve, capsulis axillaribus.— Limn. Sp. PI. Engl. Bot. t. 233. PI. 

 Infarct. p. 394. Spring, Monog.jp. 19. 



Hab. Middle Island, mountains near Nelson, Bichoill. (A native of England.) 



This is a very widely diffused plant, always growing in moorlands or open boggy grounds, often on mountains : 

 it has been found in the southern hemisphere on the Tasmanian mountains, Falkland Islands, and Tristan d'Acunha ; 

 it abounds in the North Temperate and Arctic zones, and is found on the Andes. New Zealand specimens differ m 

 no particular from European.— Stems stout, rigid, tufted, branched or simple, often decumbent at the base, erect, 

 cylindrical, 4-8 inches high, blunt, |~| inch diameter. Leaves closely imbricated up and round the whole stem, 

 rarely spreading, broadly subulate or lanceolate-subulate, acute or acuminate, 3 lines long. Capsules sessile amongst 

 the upper leaves. 



2 Lycopodium varum, Br.; caule robusto ramoso basi decumbente-dein erecto folioso, foliis decur- 

 rentibus linearibus obtusis acutisve arete imbricatis squarroso-patentibusve, spicis robustis cernuis simpb- 

 cibus v. parce dichotome ramosis, squaniis brevibus obtusis rariusve foliaceis.-2?r. Pro*. Sprmg, Monog. 

 p 57 etpt.Z.p.Zk. Pl.Antarct. p. 115. Hook, et Grev. Ie. Ml. t. 112. 



Hab. Mountainous parts of the Northern Island: Mount Egmont, Bieffenbach. Waikati, Sinclair. 

 Tararua, Colenso. Southern Island : Eoveaux Straits, Lyall. 



K common plant in Auckland Island, also found in the South Sea Islands, in South Africa, and Tasmania, in 

 which latter locality several varieties occur: of these, one with weaker stems passes into the following, and an- 

 other with shorter, smaller, more subulate leaves and axillary capsules, passes into L. Selago. In the 'Mora 

 Antarctica' I have hazarded the opinion, that this, the following, and very many other species of the Selago group, 

 are mere varieties of L. Selago itself, strangely altered by locality and climate. This is not however the opinion of 

 M Sprin- of Brussels, the author of two elaborate and valuable essays on this genus, in which the extraordinary 

 number of 107 species of Lycopodium and 209 of Selaginella are enumerated. M. Spring published his first essay 

 prior to and the second after an examination of the Hookerian Herbarium, and the result of that examination seems 

 to have' been subversive of some of these species, and the introduction of some very perplexing synonymy amongst 

 others The Auckland Island specimens of the present plant, for instance, are named in Hook. Herb. L. sulciner- 

 vium, as are some New Zealand specimens of this and of some of the following species. The name of L. varum 

 ao-ain is retained to.some of the Yan Diemen's Land specimens, whilst that of sulcinervium is given to others, which 

 were gathered by myself at the same island and place ; and the Tasmanian specimens of Selago are in part so called, 

 and in part referred to L. sulcinervium. The name sulcinervium was apparently adopted m M. Sprmg s first essay, 

 and appears to be a synonym of L. varium, a plant then unknown to M. Spring. 



In its ordinary state L. varium may be recognized by its stout, erect stem (6-18 inches high) and branehes, 

 patent or generally imbricated, decurrent, linear, coriaceous, blunt leaves, and stout, drooping, tetragonous spikes 



