282 Transactions. — Botany. 



Nat. Ord. Plantagine^. 



Plantago raouUi is the only common plant of this order. Though its 

 flowers are hermaphrodite, they seem to he exclusively cross-fertihzed, and 

 to depend on the wind for the performance of this necessary occurrence. 

 They are very inconspicuous, scentless and destitute of honey. As soon as 

 the flowers open, the long papillose stigmas protrude, while the stamens re- 

 main undeveloped. The flowers lowest down the spike open first and those 

 at the top last, and the withering of the stigmas takes place in the same 

 order. As the stigmas wither, the filaments commence to lengthen, bearing 

 at their extremity the versatile anthers full of light friable pollen. Even 

 then of course some of the upper flowers are only in the pistillate stage, 

 and may get pollen from flowers lower down the same spike, but in most 

 cases it must be blown from flowers either on different plants or different 

 spikes. 



Nat. Ord. Chenopodiace^. 



The plants of this order bear very inconspicuous flowers, which are 

 sometimes hermaphrodite, but more commonly polygamous. Chenopodium 

 triandrum is the only one I have examined with care. When hermaphrodite, 

 its flowers are very distinctly proterogynous, the stigmas withering com- 

 pletely before the anthers dehisce, so that in this, as in dioecious forms, 

 self-fertilization is impossible. It is an anemophilous plant, and this will 

 probably be found to be a character of all the New Zealand species of the 

 order. 



Nat. Ord. Polygone^. 



Polygonum aviculare is apparently self-fertihzed, the flowers being small 

 and destitute of honey or scent. 



The species of the genus Muhlenbeckia are anemophilous. They are 

 almost always dioecious, though sometimes imperfectly hermaphrodite. 

 They are very inconspicuous in colour, destitute of scent and honey, and 

 fm-nished with large plumose or papillose stigmas. I have not noticed any 

 insects visiting them. 



Rumex flexuosics and R. neglectus are hermaphrodite. The flowers are 

 distinctly proterandi'ous however, and dependent for fertilization on the 

 wind. 



Nat. Ord. TnYMELEiE. 



The only plant of the genus Pimelea which I have looked into is the 

 common but very variable P. prostrata. Though hermaphrodite in struc- 

 ture, this species is dioecious in function, and will probably tend rapidly to 

 become so in structure as well. In those forms of it which are truly her- 

 maphrodite there is a simple contrivance to prevent self-fertilization. Just 

 before the flowers expand, the style (which is placed to one side of the 



