78 XII. LINEAE. [Linum. 



—DC, Prod. i. 428; A. Eich., Fl. N.Z. 317; A. Cunn., Precurs. n. 608; 

 Hook., Bot. Mag. t. 3574. ; Hook. £., Fl. N.Z. i. 28, Handbk. 35. 



NORTH and SOUTH Islands; STEWART Island; CHATHAM Islands: extends northward 

 to the Three Kings Islands. Chiefly littoral, but is oooasionally found inland, and ascends to 

 2,000ft. 



A beautiful plant, varying greatly in habit according to situation and exposure. Rauhuia. 

 Oct. to Jan. 



*L. marginale, A. Cunn. in Hook. Land. Journ. Bot. vii. (1848) 169. A gla-- 

 brous perennial, usually much branched from the base. Stems slender, spreading or 

 ascending, lft.-2ft. high. Leaves scattered, -J-in.— fin. long, linear or narrow-linear- 

 lanceolate, acute. Flowers in a lax irregular corymb, blue. Sepals ovate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, acute or acuminate, with a narrow membranous margin and strong 

 median nerve. Styles united below. Capsule smaller than in L. monogynum, 

 dividing into 10 1 -seeded cocci. 



NORTH and SOUTH Islands: abundantly naturalised in Auckland; less frequent in the 

 soutliern provinces. 



I formerly supposed this species to be indigenous in the Auckland District, but the balance of 

 evidence shows that it must have been introduced. Nov. to Jan. Australia. 



" L. usitatissimum, L., Sp. PL 277. A glabrous annual, or rarely perennial. 

 Stems erect, 12in.-18in. high. Leaves linear-lanceolate, fin.-ljin. long. Sepals 

 ovate, acute, ciliated when young, 3-nerved, lateral often obscure. Capsule glabrous 

 within. 



NORTH and SOUTH Islands : frequent, but scarcely naturalised. Common flax. Dec, 

 Jan. Europe, temperate Asia, &c. 



* L. gallicum, L., Sp. PL ed. ii. 401. A slender annual or rarely perennial 

 herb, sometimes woody at the base. Leaves narrow -linear -lanceolate or linear- 

 subulate, slightly scabrid at the margins. Flowers numerous, small, yellow, 

 forming lax irregular corymbs. Pedicels often capillary. Sepals lanceolate-acumi- 

 nate, glandular, ciliate or slightly scabrid when young. Capsule small, 10-seeded. 



NORTH Island : naturalised from the Waitemata to Middle Waikato. Nov. to Eeb. Medi- 

 terranean, Abyssinia, &c. 



*L. catharticum, L., Sp. PL 281. A slender glabrous annual, 3in.-6in. high. 

 Flower-buds nodding. Lower leaves opposite, linear-oblong or obovate, obtuse ; 

 upper leaves alternate, lanceolate. Panicles forked. Branches short, spreading. 

 Flowers small, white. Sepals minutely serrate when young. Capsule small, 10- 

 seeded. 



NORTH and SOUTH Islands : naturalised in several districts, but local at present, or possibly 

 overlooked. Heath-flax. Nov., Deo. 



Oedee XIII.— geraniaceae. 



Sepals 5 or fewer, free, imbricate or rarely vajvate ; one sometimes 

 spurred. Petals 5 or fewer, hypogynous or slightly perigynouSj imbricate. 

 Torus more or less expanded into an inconspicuous disk often bearing glands 

 alternating with the petals. Stamens 10, hypogynous, 5 of them often imper- 

 fect; filaments often united below. Ovary with as many lobes or cells as 

 sepals; ovules 1 or more in each cell. Fruit of 5 carpels, united round a long 

 beaked axis, each terminated by an elastic cartilaginous style, which ultimately 

 separates from the axis and becomes rolled or spirally twisted upwards, carrying 

 the seed with it, or the lobes open loculicidally, or the fruit separates into cocci ; 

 rarely an indehiscent drupe. Endosperm usually scanty or 0. Embryo 



