216 PLANTS OF NEW ZEALAND 



Oxalis corniculata (The Horned Oxalis). 



A perennial herb, sometimes creeping. Leaves shining or downy. Stipules, 

 very small. Flowers, from 1-6 on a stem, ^ in. -^ in. across. Petals yellow. 

 Fruit an oblong capsule. Fl. Oct. -Mar. Both islands, abundant. 



Oxalis magellanica (Magellan's Oxalis}. 



This little plant much resembles the English Wood Sorrel (0. acetoselld). 

 It is smaller than corniculata, with slightly fleshy leaves, and solitary white 

 flowers. Capsules, round. Stipules, large. Both islands : in shady places. Fl. 

 Aug. -Oct. 



Our two dwarf species of Oxalis are interesting from 

 several points of view. On a bright day 0. corniculata enlivens 

 the turf with a blaze of little yellow flowers. It grows chiefly 

 in dry sunny localities, and it is one of the last of our indige- 

 nous plants to disappear before the advance of civilization. 

 There is no town in New Zealand in which there is such a 

 dearth of uncultivated native plants as in Christchurch, yet 

 this little Oxalis may be found on many of the lawns, even in 

 the centre of the town. Hagley Park lies almost within the 

 borders of the City, and here a few wild flowers eke out a 

 poverty-stricken existence for the delight of the town-dweller, 

 if he care to notice them. The list is a short one, and 

 (excluding monocotyledons) includes Oxalis corniculata, 

 Carmichaelia flagelliformis,Ligusticum (AcipTiylla) Colensoi, 

 Eaoulia Monroi, Geranium microphyllum, Muhlenbeckia 

 axillaris and Cotula speciosa. None of them, except the little 

 Oxalis, have brightly coloured flowers ; none of them are 

 showy or conspicuous, but every one of them is well worthy 

 of study, and in a German town of size equal to this, would 

 already have been monographed and examined micro- 

 scopically throughout, in all its stages. 



0. magellanica is found chiefly in bogs and damp woods. 

 It is a widely distributed form, with a sub-antarctic range, 

 being found in Victoria, Tasmania, South Chili, and Fuegia. 

 Mr. G. M. Thomson found that the flower produced no seed 



