l:iS PLAXTS UF NEW ZEALAND 



The stinging sensation prodnced liy this plant will sometimes last fni- thrco 

 or fi lur days. 



Geiui^ Faiietaria 



Weak herbs, ra.rel\- small shrubs. Leaves entire, opposite, often downy. 

 Flowers ni axillary cymes. Male flowers with 4-partite perianth. Stamens, 4. 

 Female flowers tubular; perianth, 4-partite. Ovary ovoid ; ovule erect. Nut 

 ininnte. A small but widely distributed genus ; found in waste places. The 

 Pellitory is a well-l^nowu English plant of the geuus. (Ancient Latin name 

 referring to the growth of some species on walls). 1 sp. 



Papietapia debilis. (Tlie Weak- stemmed Parietaria). 



Slender annual. Stem, 6 in. -'24 in. long. Leaves, J in. -2 in. long, ovate, 

 acute. Fenrale flowers in dense clusters. Both islands, common. Fl. 

 Nov. -Dec. 



Cieiius Elatostema. 



Succulent herbs, rarely shrubs. Leaves vmequal-sided, bronzed or brown- 

 red. Flowers often inconspicuous, surrounded by fleshy involucres. Male flower 

 with a perianth of 2 or 4 pointed leaflets. Female flowers with a small, im- 

 perfect perianth. Fririt a small compressed nut. A large tropical genus. 1 sp. 



Elatostema pugosa. {The Wrinkled Elatostema). 



A robust herb, shining or downy. Stem, 1 ft. - 2 ft. in height. Leaves, 

 4in.-10in. long, alternate, sessile, acute, toothed, aurioled at the base. 

 Flowers, dioecious. jNIale flowers, with fleshy receptacles Jin. across, surrounded 

 by bracts. Female flowers with smaller, more hairy receptacles. North Island : 

 damp bush, or by the sides of creeks. 



Loranthaceae. 



The Mistletoe Family. 



Distribution. — The plants of the Mistletoe Family belong chiefly to the 

 hotter parts of Asia and America, though a few are found in Europe, .Africa, and 

 New Zi'aland. In the genus LoraiitJiiis, a cup-like expansion of the flo\ver-stalk 

 just below the perianth is considered ])y some botanists to be a caly.\, and the 

 4-8 lobes of the perianth are regarded as petals. The members of this family are 

 all partially parasitic, and grow on trees and shrubs. 



A [)lant, whicli can get the wliole or part of its 

 carljonaceous food by roljljing another, wih require eitlier no 



