56 



Sir Jarngs Smith in lucidly discussing the derivation of the word 

 Luzula gives good reasons for suppressing it in favor of the more 

 classical word Luciola. 



A new circumscription of the limited number of genuine species 

 of this genus, carried out with the aid of material such as the prin- 

 cipal state-herbaria of Europe afford, appears highly recommendable. 



JuNCUS PLANirOLIUS. 



E. Brown, Prodrom. Flor. Nov. HoU. 259 ; E. Meyer, Synops. Juncor. 36, and 

 in Linnsea, iii. 370, & xxvi. 244 ; Harpe in Memoir, de la Soc. d'Hist. 

 Paris, ii. 55 ; Kunth, Enum. Plant, iii. 344 ; J. Hook. Flor. Antarctic. 

 358 & 545 ; Fl. Nov. Zeel. i. 263; Fl. Tasm". ii. 64; Steud. Synops. Plant. 

 Glum. ii. 304. 



Pitt-Island. 



CYPEROIDE.^. 



Heleocharis palustris. 



E. Brown, Prodrom. p. 80 ; H. acuta, R. Br. 1. c. ; H. gracilis, E. Br. 1. o. ; 

 J. Hook. Flor. Nov. Zeel. i. 270 ; Flor. Tasman. ii. 85 ; H. multicaulis, 

 Smith, English Flora, i. 64; H. uniglumis, Schulles, Mantissa Syst. 

 Veget. ii. 83 ; H. mucronulata, Nees in Jard. Annal. and Magaz. of 

 Natur. History, vi. 46 ; Scirpus palustris, Linn. Spec. Plant. 70 ; S. mul- 

 ticaulis. Smith, Flor. Britan. 48 ; S. uniglumis, Link, Jahrbuech. der 

 Gewaechskunde, iii. 77. 



Swampy places of Chatham-Island. 



A plant as variable as might be anticipated from its wide distri- 

 bution, its common occurrence, and the variety of ground it- occupies, 

 imitating in the southern hemisphere habitually all the forms of the 

 northern. The stem varies from a few inches to three feet high, 

 also much in thickness and the strength of its striae. The root is 

 sometimes long-creeping, sometimes scarcely emitting any suckers. 

 The spike is also very variable in length, form and color ; the scales 

 are blunt or acute ; the hypogynous setoe vary from 4-8 in number 

 and may be occasionally more elongated or much reduced in length. 

 The caryopsis alters in form, color and size, and so the persistent 

 portion of the style. 



The circumstance, that this plant in the northern hemisphere 

 very prevailingly produces a bifid style, whilst in the southern 

 hemisphere it occurs very predominantly with a trifid style, has been 

 the cause of assigning to our plant specific rank. But in -Arnhem's 

 Land and on the Wimmera the author observed the bifid or trifid 

 style promiscuously occurring in flowers of the same spike ; and as 



