Mesozoic Floras of New Zealand. 125 
Unger Records (1864). 
_ The earliest descriptions and figures of Mesozoic plants from 
New Zealand are those given by Unger in the “ Paldontologie 
von Neu-Seeland” by Hochstetter and others (Novara-Expedition, 
i 
Geol. Theil, 1 Band, 2 Abtheil., 1864). They are few in number. 
The present whereabouts of these specimens is unknown to me, 
and I have consequently not been able to examine them. 
- Polypodium hochstetteri, Unger (Plate II). This plant is no 
doubt a Cladophlebis, allied to C. australis (Morr.). The chief 
difference between the Australian and New Zealand species appears 
‘to be that the lateral nerves in the former case fork twice, as a 
‘tule, whereas, in the New Zealand plant, they are shown as only 
occasionally forking a second time. As is well known, the species 
‘of this genus are exceedingly difficult to discriminate, and in the 
‘absence of any personal knowledge of Unger’s type, I am, for the 
present at least, inclined to include the New Zealand plant in the 
older species C. australis (Morr.). In the similar British plant, 
C. denticulata (Brongn.) the lateral nerves appear as a rule to fork 
only once. For the present I am inclined to regard C. denticulata 
(Brongn.) and C. australis (Morris) as distinct species. Unger’s 
plant was obtained from the Kalkmergelbi&nken (Calcareous marls) 
of the West Coast of the province of Auckland, south of the 
estuary of the Waikato river. : 
 Asplenvum paleopteris Unger (Plate I, figs. 4—8). This plant 
appears to be a Sphenopteris, and, were the fructification known, 
one would rather expect that it would be referred to the genus 
Coniopteris. It appears to be a distinct species, though it bears 
‘some slight resemblance to the Jurassic frond Sphenopteris Mur- 
rayana (Brongn.). On the other hand Professor Seward* regards 
‘it as identical with the Wealden frond, Sphenopteris Fittonc, 
Seward. Whatever the correct genus may be, Unger’s specific 
name can hardly stand, for it had been previously used by Geinitz 
im 1855 as a generic term, and I am quite in agreement with the 
rule that the same term should not be used both as a generic and 
specific name. 
' I do not, however, propose to invent a new specific name for 
this plant at present, for I have yet some hopes of rediscovering 
Unger’s types. I will, therefore, simply term it Sphenopteris sp. 
It was obtained from coal-bearing beds on the West Coast of the 
province of Auckland, between the estuary of Waikato and the 
harbour of Whaingaroa. 
Unger also figures three obscure specimens from the coal- 
bearing beds of Pakawau in Massacre Bay, in the province of 
* Seward, The Wealden Flora, Part 1. p. xxxili (Brit. Mus. Cat.), 1894. 
