IL— BOTIANY. 



Art. XXVI. — A further Contribution towards making known the Botany of 

 New Zealand. By W. Colenso, F.L.S. 

 [Read before the Haiuhe's Bay Philosophical Institute, 12th November, 1883.] 

 In bringing before you this evening my usual annual basket of " simples," 

 or botanical contribution, I would beg permission to offer a few brief 

 remarks by way of introduction and explanation. This seems almost 

 necessary, seeing that my basket is bigger, or my paper is much longer than 

 any of my former ones on this subject, owing to the large number of new 

 species I have been enabled to obtain and describe. 



Species, too, illustrative of many Orders of all the Botanical Classes, 

 particularly of the Class Cryptogamia, and of the elegant though lowly 

 Order Hepatica ; having fortunately discovered several new ones, especially 

 of the curious and little-known genus Symphyogyna. Of this, I have deter- 

 mined no less than 11 new species, which, with 2 others, formerly 

 discovered and described by me in my recent Botanical papers read here 

 before you, and also those 5 species described in the " Handbook of the 

 New Zealand Flora," make no less than 18 distinct species of Symphyogyna 

 indigenous to this country alone ! which may now, I think, be fairly 

 considered as the head-quarters of this genus. 



According to the celebrated cryptogamic authors of the Synopsis 

 Hepaticarum, only 25 species of Symphyogyna were known to them at the 

 date of the publication of their work (1847) ; of those none were European ; 

 yet the genus seems to be a widely scattered one, viz. : In N. America 2, 

 in S. America and the West Indies 8, S. Africa, including the neighbouring 

 isles, 6, Asia (Java) 1, Australia 4, Tasmania 2, New Zealand* 2 = 25. I 

 have good reasons for believing that additional species will yet be found in 

 New Zealand ; indeed I have at present two others not yet determined, 

 being in an imperfect state. 



And here I may also observe that, to the elucidation of this genus in 

 particular I devoted a very large amount of time — labour in seeking and 

 collecting at various seasons, and close microscopical study and examina- 

 tion ; having been also cheerfully and zealously aided by some of our 

 members, especially Mr. A. Hamilton, Mr. D. P. Balfour, and Mr. 0. P. 

 Winkelmann, to all of whom (as well as to others) my best thanks are due. 



* Two of those 5 species found in New Zealand (as given in the " Handbook") are 

 also found in other countries, and are so classed by the authors of the Syn. Hfp. ; and one 

 other (S. sub-simplex) was new and not known to them at the time of its publication. 



