T. Kmx.—On the Punui of Stewart Island. 295 
Stilbocarpa was proposed by Sir Joseph Hooker as the name of a mono- 
typic genus, consisting of the Auckland Island plant already mentioned, and 
was established by Decaisne and Planchon in 1854, its essential characters 
being drawn from the 8-4-celled acetabuliform fruit, which in fact affords 
almost the only characters by which it can be separated from Aralia. The 
fruit of the punui, instead of exhibiting the cup-shaped cavity characteristic 
of Stilbocarpa, has a flattened apex covered with an epigynous disc consisting 
of the two stylopodia: in all respects agreeing with Aralia, to which it must 
. consequently be removed, and in honour of its discoverer may worthily be 
designated A. lyallii. I now append a description. 
Aralia lyallii, n. 8. 
A stout herb. Stems 3” thick, pilose, forming strong arcuate stolons. 
Leaves alternate, crowded, petioles 1'—5' long, fistulose, terete, pilose, with 
a sheathing laciniated ligule at the base: blade 6-24" in diameter, orbicular- 
reniform, lobed and deeply toothed, upper surface shining, usually glabrous, 
hairy beneath. Umbels monecious, on axillary or terminal scapes, equal- 
ling or exceeding the leaves, globose 6’-12" diameter, compound: primary 
involucral leaves foliaceous, inferior linear. Fl. unisexual, ealyx teeth 
reduced to points, petals linear, more or less imbricate in bud. Male, 
stamens 5, filaments slender, disk 2-lobed. Female, stylopodia 2, reniform, 
forming a flat indented disk; styles 2, short, free, straight or divergent, 
ovary 2-celled. Fruit spherical, black, 2-celled, cells 1-seeded: testa 
crustaceous, striated. 
Hab. South Island:—Coal Island, Preservation Inlet (identified from 
the deck of a passing steamer); Stewart Island and outliers, chiefly on 
shady cliffs, ete ; Herekopere Island, Ruapuke Island, Green Island, Centre 
Island (nearly extinct). 
Reported also from the Snares, Antipodes Island, and Bounty Island, 
but I have not seen specimens. - 
The punui often forms large patches spreading by means of the stout 
naked stolons which at first are suberect but gradually become inclined or 
arched until the terminal bud comes in contact with the ground, when roots 
are given off and a new plant is speedily developed. The stems vary in 
length from a few inches to 3' or 4’ and are about the thickness of a man's 
finger. The patch becomes more and more dense as seeding plants are 
developed amongst the stolons. Specimens grown in the shade exhibit a 
marked difference from those grown in the open. In the former the leaves 
are flat or convex, more membranous, and with softer hairs than those 
grown in exposed places. The latter have leaves of stouter texture and 
clothed with stronger hairs—the blades often concave forming cups having 
the cordate or reniform bases folded inwards; it is doubtless this iari 
