Epilobvum. | ONAGRACEAE. 808 
Devel 5: Sx _ rH ORAS. ASS 
5. E. junceum Soland. # Forst. f. Prodr. Append. (1786) n. 516, 
nomen nudum.—Stems strict and erect from a hard almost woody decum- 
bent base, 6-18 in. high or more, slender, terete, leafy, simple or branched, 
sometimes excessively so, more or less covered with fine greyish-white 
pubescence, sometimes almost glabrate towards the base. Leaves often 
crowded on short axillary branchlets, variable in size, 3-14 in. long, sessile, 
oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear-spathulate, subopposite at 
the base, alternate above, abruptly mucronulate at the apex, margins 
furnished with distantly placed denticles, both surfaces more or less clothed 
with fine ashy pubescence, rarely almost glabrous. Inflorescence leafy, 
towards the top of the stems. Flowers small, pale-rose, }in. long. Calyx- 
segments linear-lanceolate, acute, ashy-pubescent. Capsule long, slender, 
erect, straight or cyrved, 2-3in. long, tapering upwards into a short 
truncate style ; peduncle short, seldom exceeding the leaves. Seeds oblong- 
obovoid, papillose.—Spreng. Syst. ii (1825) 233; A. Cunn. Precur. (1839) 
n. 551; Raoul Choix (1846) 49; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i (1853) 60 (an part) ; 
Handb. N.Z. Fl. (1864) 80 (in part); Haussk. Monog. Epilob. (1884) 289 
(in part); T. Kirk Students’ Fl. (1899) 169 (in part); Cheesem. Man, N.Z. 
Fl. (1906) 174 (in part). E. cinereum A. Rich. FI. Nouv. Zel, (1832) 330 ; 
A. Cunn. Precur. (1839) n. 544. E. incanum, E. virgatum, and E. confertum 
A, Cunn. l.c. nn. 545, 547, 549. 
NorrH AND SoutH Isuanps, Stewart [stanpD: Abundant in lowland districts 
throughout, especially in the northern part of the North Island, but not common in 
the elevated districts of either the North or South Island, Sea-level to 2000 ft. 
November—March. 
New Zealand botanists have had much difficulty in deciding which species of 
Epilobium was entitled to bear Solander’s name of junceum. The facts are as follows : 
E. junceum was discovered by Banks and Solander at ‘“‘ Te Oneroa,” the locality where 
the present Town of Gisborne now stands, and was gathered by them in almost every 
locality visited during Cook’s first voyage. A description of it was prepared by 
Solander for his manuscript Flora of New Zealand, a work which, as is well known, 
was never actually issued. Forster also collected it during Cook’s second voyage— 
probably at Queen Charlotte Sound—and published it in his Prodromus under 
Solander’s name—unfortunately, without any description. Consequently, without 
access to the Banksian collection, the whole of which was lodged in the British Museum, 
it was practically impossible to be sure of the identity of the species. Hooker, when 
preparing the “ Flora Novae-Zelandiae,” examined the Bankisan collection, and applied 
the name of junceum to a group of plants including EL. hirtigerum, EH. erectum, and 
E. cinereum, but did not associate the name of “juncewm’’ with any one of them. He 
followed the same plan in the Handbook; and even Haussknecht, whose Monograph 
appeared in 1884, still treated “ jwnceum ”’ as the head of a number of varieties without 
particularizing any one to bear the name. 
From the above it is quite clear than an examination of the Banksian types was 
absolutely necessary to determine the identity of the plant. Fortunately, through the 
liberality of Dr. Rendle, of the British Museum, I received, a few years ago, a fairly 
complete set of the plants collected by Banks and Solander during Cook’s first voyage. 
On referring to the Hpilobta I found two specimens labelled “ Epilobiwm junceum.” 
These are practicallv identical with #. conereum A. Rich. In future, therefore, that name 
must be treated as a synonym of #. junceum Sol. 
It is worth mention that Solander divided his “‘juncewm” into two varieties : 
var. a, campestre, which answers to H. cinerewm A. Rich., and var. 6, limosum, which 
the specimens prove to be #. hirtigerum A. Cunn. 
6. E. hirtigerum A. Cunn. Precur. (1839) n. 546.—Stems greyish-green, 
tall, strict, erect, 3-3it. high, simple or branched, densely leafy, villous 
throughout with horizontally spreading hairs intermixed with shorter ones ; 
branchlets arcuate, ascending. Leaves 1—2}in. long, sessile, crowded, the 
