T. Kiek. — On the Punui of Steivart Island. 295 



Stilbocarjm 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 3-4-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. s. 



A stout herb. Stems |" thick, pilose, forming strong arcuate stolons. 

 Leaves alternate, crowded, petioles l'-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 monoecious, on axillary or terminal scapes, equal- 

 ling or exceeding the leaves, globose 6"-12" diameter, compound : primary 

 involucral leaves foliaceous, inferior linear. Fl. unisexual, calyx 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. 



Hob. South Island: — Coal Island, Preservation Inlet (identified from 

 the deck of a passhig steamer) ; Stewart Island and outliers, chiefly on 

 shady cliffs, etc ; Herekopere Island, Euapuke Island, Green Island, Centre 

 Island (nearly extinct). 



Eeported 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 peculiarity 



