424 CARYOPHYLLACEAE. [ Colobanthus. 
Sours Isnanp: Neison—Dun Mountain Range, Mount Arthur, Ragian Mountains, 
T. F. C.; Wairau Mountains, W. 7. £. Travers. Canterbury—Kowai River, Haasi. 
Otago—Buchanan ! Altitudinal range 1500 ft. to 4500 ft. Also in South America, 
from Mexico to Cape Horn. 
A weil-marked species, at once recognized by the soft leaves, which never have 
acicular points, by the tctramerous flowers, and by the broad obtuse sepals, 
3. C. monticola Petrie in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xliv (1912) 179.—A small 
densely tufted much-branched plant, forming rounded cushions 1-2 in. 
diam., perfectly glabrous in all its parts. Leaves closely imbricate all 
round the branches, spreading, the opposite pairs connate at the base, 
1-tin. long, linear-subulate, thin and membranous at the base, gradually 
narrowed upwards into a short acicular point, margins conspicuously 
thickened, channelled above, convex beneath, veinless. Flowers on short 
axillary peduncles near the tips of the branchlets, the peduncles elongating 
in fruit. - Sepals 4, linear-subulate, acicular. Stamens 4, barely $ the 
length of the sepals. Styles 4. Capsule 4-celled, equalling the calyx when 
mature. 
Sout Istanp: Rocky faces of the Sealey Range, Mount Cook district, alt 
5500 ft., Petrie; Hooker Valley, 3000 ft., 7. Ff. C. 
Closely related to C. canaliculaius, but easily separated by the smaller size. 
tetramerous flowers. much narrower sepals, and shorter stamens and styles. 
4. ©. eanaliculatus 7. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvu (1895) 357.— 
A small densely tufted much-branched plant, forming rounded cushicns 
3-4 in. diam. and 2in. high, occasionally more laxly branched and open. 
Leaves in opposite pairs with broad connate sheathing bases, 3-¢ in. long, 
rigid or chaffy, spreading, subulate, gradually narrowed into an acute or 
shortly acicular tip, deeply channelled above, convex below, margins 
thickened. Flowers 4in., terminating short lateral branchlets in the axils 
of the uppermost leaves. Sepals 5, broadly ovate, acute or subacute, 
margins thin and almost translucent. Stamens 5, longer than the sepals. 
Hypogynous dise reduced to a thickened line. Capsules equal to or rather 
shorter than the sepals.—Students’ Fl. (1899) 61; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 
(1906) 69. C. squarrosus Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvill (1896) 534. 
Sours Iszanp: Nelson—Mount Owen, on limestone rocks, alt. 4000 ft., 7. F. C., 
W. Townson! Otago—Buchanan. 
A well-marked plant, the chief characters of which are the short spreading chafiy 
leaves, either acute or very shortly acicular, the short stout lateral peduncles, and the 
broadly ovate sepals. 
5. C. erassifolius Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i (1847) 248.—A small densely 
tufted perennial 4-1}in. high, rarely more. Leaves in crowded tufts, 
usually grassy, often flaccid, very variable in length, sometimes | in. long, 
ery narrow-linear or filiform, at other times shorter, + in., linear-subulate ; 
broad and membranous at the base and sheathing the stem, oradually 
narrowed upwards, acute or acicular at the tip. Peduncles springing trom 
the centre of the leaf-tufts, longer or shorter than the leaves, usually elon- 
gating in the fruiting stage. Sepals 5, ovate, acute or acuminate, as long 
as or rather longer than the capsule. Capsule broadly ovoid, obtuse.—- 
C. Billardieri Fenzl. in Ann. Wien Mus. i (1836) 49 (in part); Hook. f. Fi. 
Antarct. i (1844) 14; Fl. Nov. Zel: i (1853) 27; Fl. Tasm. i (1860) 45 ; 
Handb. N.Z. Fl. (1864) 25; Benth. Fl. Austral. i (1863) 161; YT. Kirk 
Students’ Fl. (1899) 60; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 67. 
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