THE PHANEROGAMS OF THE JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS 151 



on the western wall of the island, not uncommon; near Las Torres, 1350 m ; 

 top of Cq Correspondencia, c. 1400 m. 



To my description of 1914 the following notes should be added. Old 

 trunks sometimes as much as V2 m high and 2 dm across; petiole to 1 V2 m 

 long, occasionally as much as 12 cm wide at base; largest lamina measured 

 2,87 m across. Scales densly pilose on back, as in G. peltata. Largest scapes 

 measured 1,67 and 1,75 m, respectively, very heavy, drooping, as much as 26 cm 

 across at base. 



This species has larger leaves than the other Juan Fernandez species. 

 Besides by other characters, it is distinguished by the branches of the spike 

 becoming conspicuously incrassate in the fruiting state. The fruit is bright 

 orange red turning crimson when ripe. 



In No. 400 transitions were found between normal leaves and the so-called 

 »ligules», showing that the latter are not ligular structures, but reduced leaves, 

 homologous with the large green leaves as well as with the reduced bracts. 

 I shall return to these organs in another paper. 



The young petioles of G. Masafuerae have a more agreeable, less acid 

 taste than those of G. peltata; they are quite refreshing, a fact well known to 

 the islanders, who distinguished G. Masafuerae as a special sort of »nalca» 

 (native name for the petioles) long before it was described by the writer. 



Area of distribution: Endemic in Masafuera. 



Halorrhagidaceae. 

 Halorrhagis Forst. 



A species of Halorrhagis was first collected in Masatierra by Mrs. Graham 

 in 1823 and later by SCOULER, BERTERO, CUMING, GERMAIN, PHILIPPI, REED, 

 MoSELEY and JOHOW, also by me in 1908. I have seen specimens brought 

 by all these collectors. SCHINDLER, Pflanzenreich, also quotes J. D. HOOKER, 

 who never visited Juan Fernandez. All the specimens were referred to one 

 species and identified with Cercodia erecta Murr. Comment. Goetting. II (1780) 3 

 tab. i=H. alata J acq. = H. erecta (Murr.) Schindler, 1. c. IV. 225 (1905) 49, 

 fig. 14. The plant from Masatierra goes under one of these names in all 

 publications and herbaria, also in the monograph of SCHINDLER. In 1908, the 

 same name was used by me, on the authority of SCHINDLER. . At that time I 

 had no reason to doubt his statements, with one exception, viz. that he quotes 

 H. erecta as a native of Chile (Germain); it does not occur on the continent, 

 and Germain's specimens came from Juan Fernandez. 



After I had discovered a number of forms in Masafuera, I began to study 

 H. erecta from New Zealand and found that the plant from Masatierra was a 

 distinct species. It is evident that SCHINDLER based his description on speci- 

 mens from both New Zealand and Juan Fernandez (Masatierra). 



Before my visit in 1908 Halorrhagis had been brought from Masafuera 

 only by Germain. No distinction was made between this and the form in 

 Masatierra. Both are quite smooth, but otherwise very different from each 



