﻿434 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Botany. 
  

  

  in 
  wliich 
  it 
  was 
  fonnd 
  cannot 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  in 
  -wbicli 
  new 
  introductions 
  

   would 
  be 
  sought 
  for, 
  or 
  even 
  expected. 
  In 
  any 
  case, 
  whether 
  native 
  or 
  

   naturalized, 
  its 
  occurrence 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  is 
  remarkable. 
  

  

  Junciis 
  tenuis 
  can 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  species 
  

   by 
  its 
  slender, 
  wiry 
  culms, 
  12-18 
  inches 
  high, 
  leafy 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  only; 
  short, 
  

   channelled, 
  almost 
  setaceous 
  and 
  flaccid 
  leaves 
  ; 
  open 
  terminal 
  panicles 
  ; 
  

   and 
  lanceolate 
  acute 
  perianth 
  segments, 
  which 
  are 
  one-third 
  longer 
  than 
  

   the 
  broadly 
  ovoid 
  obtuse 
  capsules. 
  

  

  Akt. 
  LXVIII. 
  — 
  Notice 
  of 
  the 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  Genus 
  Kyllinga 
  in 
  New 
  

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

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Auckland 
  Institute, 
  18th 
  Noveviber, 
  1878.] 
  

   Me. 
  Thos. 
  Ball, 
  of 
  Mongonui, 
  has 
  kindly 
  forwarded 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  determination 
  

   some 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  sedge 
  which 
  I 
  identify 
  with 
  Kyllinga 
  monocephala, 
  

   Eottb., 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  wide 
  distribution 
  in 
  tropical 
  regions, 
  but 
  not 
  hitherto 
  

   recorded 
  from 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  Mr. 
  Ball 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  

   plant 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  some 
  marshy 
  ground 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  Mongonui 
  

   harbour, 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  noticed 
  by 
  him 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  district. 
  So 
  far 
  

   as 
  I 
  can 
  judge 
  from 
  the 
  information 
  supplied 
  to 
  me, 
  the 
  plant 
  appears 
  to 
  

   be 
  truly 
  indigenous 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  it 
  is 
  precisely 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  species 
  which 
  might 
  

   naturally 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  not 
  

   yet 
  completely 
  explored 
  in 
  a 
  botanical 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  Its 
  existence 
  there 
  

   is 
  quite 
  in 
  harmony 
  with 
  what 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  plant 
  distribution 
  in 
  New 
  

   Zealand, 
  there 
  being 
  several 
  tropical 
  forms 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  district 
  between 
  

   Whangaroa 
  and 
  the 
  North 
  Cape, 
  as 
  Hibiscus 
  diversi/olius, 
  Cassytha 
  paniculata, 
  

   and 
  Ipomcea 
  tuherculata. 
  

  

  Kyllinga 
  can 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  genera 
  of 
  Cyperacecs 
  

   indigenous 
  to 
  New 
  Zealand 
  by 
  the 
  compressed 
  one-flowered 
  spikelets, 
  

   densely 
  clustered 
  in 
  globose, 
  usually 
  solitary 
  heads, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  leafy 
  

   involucre. 
  The 
  following 
  description 
  will 
  enable 
  the 
  species 
  to 
  be 
  recog- 
  

   nised 
  : 
  — 
  

   Kyllinga 
  monocephala, 
  Eottb. 
  

  

  Ehizome 
  creeping; 
  culms 
  erect, 
  8-12 
  inches 
  high, 
  leafy 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  

   only 
  ; 
  leaves 
  narrow 
  linear, 
  flat, 
  scabrid 
  towards 
  the 
  points 
  ; 
  involucre 
  

   3-44eaved, 
  spreading. 
  Heads 
  solitary, 
  globose, 
  pale 
  ; 
  spikelets 
  compressed, 
  

   1-flowered 
  ; 
  two 
  lower 
  glumes 
  minute, 
  two 
  upper 
  nearly 
  equal, 
  ovate-lanceo- 
  

   late, 
  sharply 
  keeled, 
  mucronate, 
  about 
  7-nerved 
  ; 
  stamens 
  2 
  ; 
  nut 
  broadly 
  

   ovate, 
  finely 
  punctate, 
  much 
  shorter 
  than 
  the 
  glumes 
  ; 
  style 
  2-fid. 
  

  

  