THE ART ALBUM OF NEW ZEALAND FLOBA. 



113 



GENUS II. 

 NOTOSPARTIUM. {Hook, F.) The Notospartium. 



G-ENEEic Character. — A shrub or small tree, with 

 slender branches, and pendulous bninchlets, like whipeord. 

 Leaves, not seen. Flowers, rather small. Calyx, eompanulate, 

 truncate ; teeth. 5, short. Standard, obovate-ohcordate, not 

 aurieled at the base. Wings, oblong, with an incurved auricle 

 at the base, shorter than the hatchet-shaped keel. Stamens, 



diadel|)hou3. Ovai'y, nearly sessile, linear, tapering into a 

 curved style, which is ciliated. Pod, shortly stipitate, linear, 

 elongate, with a slender style, curved, torulose, compressed, 

 membranous, indehiscenf, many-jointed, many-seeded. Seeds, 

 solitary in the cells, oblong, with a doubly -bent and twisted 

 club-shaped radicle. — Handbook of the New Zealand Flora,p.51. 



Description, etc. — A most curious genus peculiar to New Zealand, and allied in 

 habit, and in many other respects to Carmichcelia, but widely differing from it, and from 

 all other known genera. 



1. NOTOSPAETIUM CARMICHiELIA. {Hook, F.) 



Notospartium. 



The Carmichselia-like 



Specific Character. — A small tree, with weeping 

 branches, and pink flowers. Branchlets, 1 ft. or more long, 

 compressed, grooved, ^ in. broad, remotely toothed, giving 

 off at the teeth many-flowered racemes, l-li in. long. 



Peduncle and short pedicels, pubescent. Flowers, rj-i in. 

 long. Pods, 1 in. long, ^ in. broad. — Handbook of the New 

 Zealand Flora^ p. 31. 



Description, etc.— Pig. 4, Plate No. 26.— The " NOTOSPARTIUM," or " PINK 

 BROOM." This beautiful tree is indigenous to the Middle Island, and confined to the 

 northern part of the Canterbury District, the Kaikoura Ranges, and the Upper Awatere. 

 ascending to a height of 1,500 feet. It blossoms in Decemljer, when it is a charming 

 spectacle, having its long weejjing branches adorned with the beautiful pink jjea-flowers, 

 plentifully displayed. The j)lant, even in its native habitat, does not apjjear to be 

 common. 



CtBNUS. ITT. 

 SWAINSONIA. {Salisbu/'i/.) The Swamsonia. 



G-ENERic Character. — Herbs ; stems pro.strate, erect, 

 or climbing, sometimes woody at the base. Leaves, unequally- 

 pinnate, stijuilate ; leaflets, many. Flowers in axillary, ped- 

 uncled, racemes. Calyx, companulate, 5-tootlicd. Standard, 

 broad, open or reflexed, orbicular. Wings, narrow, aurieled 



at tlie base, as long as, or shorter than the obtuse keel. Style, 

 sleiuler, bearded on the upper or inner cdi;e : ovules, numy. 

 Pod, ovate oblong, or terete, inflated, or turgid, acute. .Seeds, 

 rather small. — Handbook of the New Zealand Flora, p. 51. 



Description, etc. — A large Australian genus comprising herbs, or undershriibs, 

 with flowers in axillary racemes, either purple, blue, red, or white. Some of the species, 

 as S. Greijana, S. prociiwbens, as also S. violacea and S. galeyifolia, are very 

 handsome plants. The genus is represented in other parts of the world by Astragalus, 

 the Milk Vetch, from which it is chiefly distmguished by the broader, and more 

 expanded standard. New Zealand is represented by only one species — Sicainsonia Novce 

 Zeland'ue, a small, sparingly-branched herb, with purple flowers. 



