LXXI. URTICEj®. 
253 
5. ELATOSTEMMA, Forst. 
Herbs, rarely shrubby, usually succulent. Leaves distichous, opposite or 
alternate, unequal-sided ; stipules axillary. Flowers minute, unisexual, 
densely crowded on axillary, fleshy, unisexual involucres. — Male: Perianth 
of 3 or 4 mucronate leaflets. Stamens 4 or 5. Ovary imperfect. Female: Pe- 
rianth minute, imperfect. Stamens imperfect. Ovary ellipsoid ; stigma 
sessile, penicellate; ovule erect. Nut minute, ovate or elliptic, compressed. 
Seed exalbuminous ; cotyledons plano-convex. 
A very large tropical genus in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. 
1. E. rugosum, A. Cunn. ; — FI. N. Z. i. 304. Erect or decumbent, 
1-2 ft. high, stout, succulent, glabrous or puberulous. Stem branching’ 
below. Leaves 4-10 in. long, alternate, sessile, narrow obovate-lanceolate 
or lanceolate, acuminate, curved, auricled at the base and half amplexicaul, 
deeply serrate or rugose ; stipules membranous, lanceolate. Flowers dioecious. 
Male: receptacles discoid, fleshy, } in. diam., surrounded by adnate bracts, 
solitary or 2 together, sessile or shortly peduncled ; perianth pedicelled, hid- 
den amongst membranous bracteoles ; — -fern. : receptacle smaller, more pu- 
bescent ; perianth nearly sessile ; stigma capitate. 
Northern Island : in dense moist woods, abundant, Banks and Solander, etc. Closely 
allied to an Australian and South Sea Island species. 
Order LXXTI. CHLORANTHACE^]. 
Herbs or small shrubs. Leaves evergreen, opposite, the petioles connate 
at the base, usually serrated, stipulate. Flowers minute, green, uni- or bi- 
sexual, in terminal and axillary spikes. — Bracts boat-shaped or 0. Perianth 
0. Stamens 1-3, epigynous in hermaphrodite flowers; filament very short; 
anthers bursting laterally or inwards. Ovary sessile, 1-celled; stigma ses- 
sile, obtuse, deciduous; ovule 1, pendulous. Drupe small, fleshy, 1 -seeded. 
Seed with a membranous testa, fleshy albumen, and minute embryo. 
A very small, tropical and subtropical Order. 
1. ASC ARINA, Forst. 
Flowers dioecious, loosely spiked; bract small. — Stamen 1. Anther linear- 
oblong, 2-celled, bursting laterally. Ovary ovoid. 
1. A. lucida, Hook.f. FI. N. Z. i. 228. A small tree or shrub, 12-14 
ft. high, everywhere perfectly glabrous, evergreen and shining; branches 
terete. Leaves 1^-2^ in. long, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, 
coarsely obtusely serrate, rather glaucous below ; stipules subulate. Spikes 
8 in. long, solitary or racemed. 
Northern Island: Totara-nui, Banks and Solander ; swamps in the Wairarapa valley, 
Colenso. Kermadec Islands, M‘ Gillivray . I find that the Kermadec Island plant with 
larger leaves, which I distinguished as A. lanceolate, (Journ. Linn. Snc. i. 129) is only a 
variety of the New Zealand one. Dr. Seemann refers a Fiji Island plant to the same. 
