f 
Cotula. | COMPOSITAE. 1001 
Heads umisexual; peduncles axillary, shorter or longer than the leaves. 
Females 4—} in. diam., involucre hemispherical, bracts in 2-3 serles, outer 
orbicular-ovate with erose purple or green margins, Inner narrow- -oblong. 
Corolla eglandular, ovoid-conical, about 4 as long as the ovary. Achene 
stipitate, slightly curved, plano- anes Male heads smaller; corolla 
funnel-shaped, 5-lobed. —O. dioica var. pulchella Cheesem. Man. NZ. Fi. 
(1906) 388. 394 
Sourn Isuanp: Canterbury—Swamps near Lincoln, 7. Kirk! Otago—Swamps 
near Dunedin, Petrie! 7’. Kirk! Southland—Abundant in coastal moors, Cockayne. 
Stewart Isuanp: Patersgn’s Inlet, 7. Kirk! abundant, Cockayne. December— 
February.See. CKReR.- : Suw- Sttws.ic. Ge, | 
Although [ united this with C. dioica in the first edition of this work I now think 
that it is preferable to treat it as a distinct species. Mr. Kirk gives its differential 
characters (** Students’ Flora, ’’ (1899), p. 328) as follows: “‘ The leaves are much longer 
and more deeply divided, never flaccid ; the female corolla is longer and narrower, and 
the stipitate achene is turgid and convex at the back.” It is much to be wished that 
some botanist resident in the southern portion of the Dominion would investigate, 
with the aid of fresh specimens, the differences between the three species C. obscura, 
CO”. pulchella, and C. dioica. 
23. €. dioica Hook. /. Handb. N.Z. Fl. (1864) 143.—Stems creeping, 
rather stout or slender, lupe or slightly hairy, 3— ue in. long. Leaves 
tufted or solitary, membranous, often flaccid, petiolate, $-2 in. long, linear- 
obovate or spathulate, obtuse, crenate-serrate or labalats or semipinnatifid, 
often deeply pinnatifid or pinnate at the base, lobes or segments entire 
or the upper margins more or less deeply toothed or incised. Peduncles 
axillary, longer or shorter than the leaves, naked, more or less pubescent. 
Heads unisexual; males 4-4in. diam.; involucral bracts few, in 2 series, 
oblong-orbicular, pubescent, with broad purple scarious pat oT Flore 
numerous, eglandular, funnel-shaped. Female heads larger, $41n. di 
or more; involucral bracts more numerous, imbricated in 3 or 
and minutely toothed at the mouth. Achene obovoid, c¢ 
at the back.—T. Kirk Students’ Fl. (1899) 328; Cheesenr 
(1906) 358.  Leptinella dioica Hook. f. FI. NOP 
853) a 
gene. 
Var. crenatifolia 7’. Kirk Students’ Fl. (1899) 328. pra, 2-3 in., oblong- Lathe 
late, membranous, crenate-toothed, with a few — Pe division q the base of the epi 
—Cheesem. l.c. 359. . fs aoe 1 49" a 
oe az 8 ‘ 
Var. rotundata Cheesem. l.c. oh robus “ip hairy. Leaves*3—l3 ingpPhe, orbi- 
es al toothed aboye, ually lobul: fe or pinnatifid below he 
Nortn AND Sour TSuanps, STEWART IstaND : Not uneommon from the Great 
rier Island a e, Kaipara Harbour, most plentif - neat the coast. Var. crenati- 
-olia: Usually land swamps, ascending to 3500 ft. Var. rotundata: Cliffs between 
fhe Manukau a Kaipara Harbours, 7'. F. C. ; .east coast, Colenso / 
* . 
*  Exceedinglywariable in the size of the leaves and the extent to which they are 
toothed or divided, and aiso varying mich in the size of the flower-heads. 
: t. 
Bo 
cy 
: 20. CENTIPEDA Lour. |77 © 
Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, entire or coarsely toothed. 
Heads small, sessile on the branches or racemose, heterogamous and discoid. 
Involucre hemispherical; bracts in 2 series, subequal, margins scarious. 
Receptacle flat or convex, naked. Female florets exterior, in several rows, 
5 
vt 
