﻿4y2 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Botany. 
  

  

  Art. 
  LXVI. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  Genus 
  Porantliera 
  in 
  New 
  

   Zealand. 
  By 
  T. 
  F. 
  Cheeseman, 
  F.L.S. 
  

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Auckland 
  Institute, 
  10th 
  June, 
  1878.] 
  

   A 
  FEW 
  months 
  ago, 
  while 
  examinhig 
  the 
  vegetation 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  Maitai 
  Valley, 
  near 
  Nelson, 
  I 
  observed 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  localities 
  a 
  small 
  

   Euphorbiaceous 
  plant, 
  which, 
  on 
  examination, 
  proved 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  genus 
  Porantliera. 
  On 
  referring 
  to 
  Bentham's 
  " 
  Flora 
  Austra- 
  

   Hensis," 
  it 
  became 
  evident 
  that 
  P. 
  microj^hjUa, 
  Brong., 
  the 
  most 
  widelj^- 
  

   difi'used 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus, 
  approached 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  characters 
  to 
  my 
  

   plant 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  it, 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  was 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bentham 
  

   as 
  having 
  the 
  leaves 
  alternate, 
  while 
  my 
  specimens 
  all 
  had 
  opposite 
  leaves, 
  

   I 
  concluded 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  before 
  me 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  My 
  friend 
  

   Baron 
  Mixeller, 
  however, 
  who 
  has 
  done 
  me 
  the 
  favour 
  of 
  examining 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  specimens, 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  although 
  all 
  writers 
  describe 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  

   Porantliera 
  as 
  alternate, 
  P. 
  microphylla 
  " 
  has 
  not 
  rarely 
  some, 
  and 
  very 
  

   seldom 
  all 
  the 
  leaves 
  opposite," 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  find 
  no 
  characters 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   tinguish 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  plant 
  from 
  the 
  Australian. 
  In 
  this 
  opinion, 
  after 
  

   examining 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Australian 
  specimens 
  kindly 
  forwarded 
  by 
  Baron 
  

   Mueller, 
  I 
  now 
  concur. 
  As 
  some 
  little 
  interest 
  is 
  naturally 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  

   addition 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  genns 
  to 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  flora, 
  I 
  subjoin 
  the 
  following 
  

   short 
  diagnosis 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Porantliera 
  microphylla, 
  Brong. 
  in 
  Duperry 
  Voy. 
  Coq. 
  Bot. 
  218, 
  t. 
  50 
  B 
  ; 
  

   Bentham, 
  Flora 
  Australiensis, 
  VI., 
  56. 
  

  

  Perfectly 
  glabrous 
  ; 
  stems 
  slender, 
  branched, 
  prostrate 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  

   ascending 
  towards 
  the 
  tips, 
  6-9 
  inches 
  long 
  ; 
  leaves 
  opposite, 
  or 
  rarely 
  the 
  

   upper 
  ones 
  alternate, 
  linear-obovate, 
  obtuse, 
  gradually 
  narrowed 
  into 
  the 
  

   rather 
  long 
  petiole, 
  ^ 
  to 
  i 
  inch 
  long, 
  margins 
  usually 
  slightly 
  recurved. 
  

   Inflorescence 
  composed 
  of 
  terminal, 
  short 
  and 
  dense 
  bracteate 
  racemes 
  ; 
  

   bracts 
  linear-subulate, 
  lower 
  ones 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  flowers 
  ; 
  flowers 
  minute, 
  

   white, 
  monoecious. 
  Male 
  flowers 
  : 
  calyx 
  divided 
  into 
  5 
  segments 
  ; 
  petals 
  5, 
  

   minute, 
  linear- 
  subulate, 
  each 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  green 
  gland 
  at 
  its 
  base 
  ; 
  stamens 
  

   5 
  ; 
  rudimentary 
  ovary 
  composed 
  of 
  three 
  clavate 
  bodies. 
  Female 
  flowers 
  

   rather 
  larger 
  and 
  on 
  longer 
  pedicels 
  ; 
  calyx 
  and 
  petals 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  males 
  ; 
  stamens 
  ; 
  ovary 
  depressed, 
  6-lobed, 
  3-celled, 
  each 
  cell 
  with 
  

   two 
  ovules 
  ; 
  capsule 
  separating 
  into 
  three 
  2-valved 
  cocci, 
  the 
  whole 
  falling 
  

   away 
  from 
  the 
  persistent 
  axis 
  ; 
  seeds 
  granulate. 
  

  

  Hab 
  : 
  Among 
  clumps 
  of 
  Pimelea 
  gniclia 
  in 
  the 
  Fagns 
  forest. 
  Upper 
  Maitai 
  

   Valley, 
  Nelson 
  — 
  J. 
  Adams 
  and 
  T. 
  F. 
  Cheeseman. 
  In 
  Australia 
  the 
  species 
  

   ranges 
  from 
  Port 
  Darwin 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Tasmania. 
  

  

  Had 
  my 
  specimens 
  been 
  gathered 
  near 
  to 
  cultivation, 
  or 
  had 
  they 
  been 
  

   found 
  associated 
  with 
  naturalised 
  plants, 
  the 
  species 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  looked 
  

  

  