15 



ONAGRE^. 



Epilobium tetragonum. 



Linn^, Spec. Plant. 494; J. Hook. Flor. Antarctica, ii. 270-271; Flor. Nov. 

 Zeel. i. p. 60 ; Flor. Tasm. i. 117 ; E. palustre, L. Sp. 495 ; E. glabellum, 

 Forst. Prodr. 160 ; E. junceum, Forst. in Spreng. Syst. Veg. ii. 233 ; E. 

 Billardierianum, Seringe in Cand. Prodr. iii. 41 ; J. Hook. Fl. Tasm. i. 

 117, t. xxi. ; E. pubens, Ach. Eioh. Voy. de I'Astrolabe, 329, t. 36 ; E. 

 cinereum, A. Rich. 1. c. ; E. pallidiflorum, Soland. accord, to A. Cunn. in 

 Annal. of Nat. Histor. iii. 31 ; B. virgatum, E. hirtigerum, E. confertum 

 and B. incanum, A. Cunn. 1. c. ; E. maorantbum, J. Hook. Icon. Plant. 

 297 ; E. melanocoulon, Hook. Icon. 813 ; E. canescens, Endl. Bnum. Plant. 

 Hueg. 44; SoblecMend. Linneea, xx. 646 ; E. Baueri, Endl. 1. c. 



In swampy places of Chatham-Island nearly everywliere. 



The specimina brought by Mr. Travers approach to the more 

 typical form. The innumerable varieties of this species, which is 

 one of the most protean of the globe, may be collected into three 

 principal groups. One of these groups of varieties comprises Epilo- 

 bium alpinum, L. Spec. 495 ; E. origanifolium, Lam. Encycl. ii. 376 ; 

 E. haloragifolium, A. Cunn. in Annal. Nat. Hist. iii. 34 ; E. micro- 

 phyllum, A. Kich. Voy. de TAstrolabe, i. 325, t. 36 ; E. confertifolium, 

 J. Hook. Flor. Antarct..i. 10, et Icon. Plant. 685 ; E. tenuipes, J. 

 Hook. Fl. Nov. Zeel. i. 59. 



Another complex of varieties, more particularly though probably 

 not absolutely restricted to New Zealand, is formed by E. rotundi- 

 folium, Forst. Prodr. 161 ; E. nummularifolium, E. pedunculare, E. 

 nerteroides, E. alsinoides, E.thymifolium, E. atriplicifolium, All. Cunn. 

 in Annal. of Nat. Hist. iii. 31 et seq. ; E. linnseoides, J. Hook. Flor. 

 Antarctic, i. 9, t. 6 ; E. macropus. Hook. Icon. Plant, t. 812. 



All these plants with a host of other synonyms, which it would 

 be superfluous to conjoin on this occasion, might when contrasted 

 with the very few other well-marked species of this genus, such as 

 E. latifolium, E. luteum, E. suffruticosum and E. hirsutum, be recog- 

 nized by the following brief diagnosis : Flowers axillary and terminal, 

 solitary, not truly racemose ; lobes of the calyx connate towards the 

 base ; petals bilobed, pink or pale ; stamens and style included and 

 almost straight ; filaments not distinctly dilated at the base ; anthers 

 small ; style glabrous ; stigma dub-shaped ; ovules uniseriate ; cap- 

 sules narrow-cylindrical ; coma several times longer than the seeds. 



Dr. Hooker first recognized the wide distribution of E. tetrago- 

 num over the globe (conf. Flor. Antarctic, ii. 270). The author of 



