# Manual of the New Zealand Flora/Liliaceæ

Additions and Corrections
Order LXXXII. LILIACEÆ.
Perennial herbs, rarely shrubs or trees. Root fibrous, or rhizome tuberous or bulbous or creeping. Stem herbaceous or woody, erect or climbing, tall or scarcely produced beyond the radical leaves. Leaves usually in radical tufts, or crowded at the ends of the stems or branches, or scattered along the branches, very various in size, shape, and texture. Flowers usually regular, hermaphrodite or rarely unisexual, inflorescence very various. Perianth inferior, petaloid; tube long or short; limb 6-lobed or -par​tite; segments in 2 series, imbricate or rarely valvate. Stamens 6, rarely 3, inserted towards the base of the perianth-segments and opposite to them, rarely hypogynous; filaments free or connate at the base; anthers oblong or linear, 2-celled, versatile. Ovary superior, 3-celled (sometimes imperfectly so in Astelia); style usually simple with a small terminal stigma, or more or less deeply divided into 3 stigmatic branches; ovules few or many in each cell, attached to the inner angle, usually anatropous. Fruit a 3-celled (rarely 1-celled) capsule or berry. Seeds 1 or more in each cell, globose or angular or flattened; testa frequently black, crustaceous or membranous; albumen copious, fleshy or horny; embryo small, terete.
A very large and important order, found all over the v/orld, but more abundant in temperate and subtropical regions than in the tropics. It is frequently divided into 3 or 4 separate orders, but in a small Flora it seems advisable to avoid extreme subdivision. Genera estimated at 190, species about 2500. The order has many useful species. The onion, leek, garlic, and asparagus are well-known edible plants. Aloes, squills, and sarsaparilla are important medicines. Phormium produces one of the strongest of vegetable fibres. Some are dangerous poisons, as white hellebore and meadow-saffron. Among the multitude of showy garden-plants it will be sufficient to mention the lily, tulip, hyacinth, asphodel, lily of the valley. Of the 10 genera found in New Zealand, Phormium extends to Norfolk Island; Rhipogonum, Herpolirion, and Arthropodium occur in Australia, the latter in New Caledonia as well; Enargea in Chili and the Falkland Islands; Astelia in Australia, the Pacific islands, and temperate South America; Bulbinella in South Africa; the remaining three (Cordyline, Dianella, and Iphigenia) are widely distributed.
| A. Fruit a berry. |
| * Leaves with distant parallel primary veins connected by transverse veinlets. |
| Tall branching climber. Leaves usually opposite. Flowers racemose or paniculate | 1. Rhipogonum. |
| Stems short, wiry, creeping. Leaves alternate. Flowers solitary or 2–3, axillary | 2. Enargea. |
| ** Veins of leaves not connected by transverse veinlets. |
| Stems woody, usually arborescent. Leaves crowded at the ends of the stem or branches, glabrous. Flowers hermaphrodite; perianth deciduous | 3. Cordyline. |
| Large tufted herbs. Leaves all radical, more or less clothed with silky hairs. Flowers diœcious; perianth persistent | 4. Astelia. |
| Tufted herbs. Leaves all radical, glabrous. Flowers hermaphrodite; filaments thickened upwards | 5. Dianella. |
| B. Fruit a capsule. |
| Leaves long, narrow, coriaceous. Scape tall, branched above. Perianth tubular, curved | 6. Phormium. |
| Leaves, linear, fleshy. Scape stout, naked, Flowers racemose, yellow; filaments naked | 7. Bulbinella. |
| Scape stout, with leafy bracts. Flowers panicled, white; pedicels jointed in the middle. Filaments bearded | 8. Arthropodium. ​ |
| Small alpine herb. Rhizome creeping. Leaves distichous. Flowers large, solitary, sessile. Style filiform | 9. Herpolirion. |
| Small herbs. Rootstock a tunicate corm. Leaves few. Flower small. Styles 3 | 10. Iphigenia. |
1. RHIPOGONUM, Forst.
Tall climbing shrubs, much branched above. Leaves opposite or nearly so, 3–5-nerved with transverse reticulated veins between; petioles without tendrils. Flowers hermaphrodite, small, shortly pedicelled, racemose; racemes axillary or termmal, simple or compound, sometimes forming a terminal panicle. Perianth deciduous; segments 6, all equal or the outer ones shorter. Stamens 6, hypogynous; filaments very short, flattened; anthers erect, longer or shorter than the perianth. Ovary superior, sessile, 3-celled; style short, stout; stigmas 3, thick, recurved; ovules solitary or geminate in each cell. Fruit a globose berry, usually 1-seeded by abortion, rarely 2–3-seeded. Seeds globose; testa thin, appressed; embryo small, remote from the hilum.
In addition to the single species found in New Zealand, there are four others in Australia.
1. R. scandens, Forst. Char. Gen. 50.—A tall glabrous climber. Stems slender, knotted at the joints, often forming interwoven masses difficult to penetrate. Leaves opposite or very rarely alternate, petiolate, 3–5 in. long, narrow ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, coriaceous, 3- or 5-nerved, the intermediate veinlets copiously reticulated. Racemes axillary, simple or branched, 3–6 in. long, the upper ones sometimes forming a terminal panicle. Flowers small, greenish, about ⅓ in. diam.; pedicels slender, spreading. Perianth-segments very small, oblong-lanceolate, acute. Stamens 6, much longer than the perianth; filaments short, thick; anthers very large, linear-lanceolate. Ovary ovoid-globose; ovules geminate in each cell; style short, thick; stigma large, obsoletely 3-lobed. Berry globose, ⅓ in. diam., brightred.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. i. 151; Raoul, Choix, 41; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 253; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 281; Benth. in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 1395. E. parviflorum, R. Br. Prodr. 293; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 305. Similax Ripogonum, Forst. Prodr. n. 372.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Lowland forests from the North Cape southwards, abundant. Sea-leve! to 2000 ft. Supplejack; Kareao; Pirita. November–December.
A familiar plant to all bushmen, especially in the northern part of the colony. In the South Island it is mainly found near the coasts. The long, tough, and elastic stems have been used for baskets, hurdles, &c.; and an extract from the root has been employed in the place of sarsaparilla.
2. ENARGEA, Banks and Sol.
Glabrous almost suffruticose herbs. Stems slender, branched, wiry, knotted at the joints, lower joints with small membranous scales. Leaves alternate, sessile or nearly so, distichous, lanceolate to oblong, prominently nerved. Flowers white, solitary or 2–4 in the axils of the leaves. Perianth deciduous; segments 6, distinct, subequal, spreading, thin, nerveless. Stamens 6, hypogynous; filaments erect; anthers linear-oblong, basifixed, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary sessile, ovoid, 3-celled; ovules 4–10 in each cell; style filiform; stigma terminal, capitate or obsoletely 3-lobed. Berry subglobose, indehiscent. Seeds few, ovoid or subglobose; testa thin, appressed; embryo short, straight; albumen horny.
In addition to the New Zealand species, which appears to be the same as the Fuegian and Falkland Island E. marginata, there are two others from Chili. I agree with the late Baron Mueller ("Victorian Naturalist," December, 1886) in considering that Enargea sbould take precedence over both Callixene and Luzuriaga. Enargea was published by Gaertner from Solander's notes in 1788, whereas Callixene did not appear until 1789, and Luzuriaga in 1802. Enargea appears to have been rejected on account of an error in Gaertner's plate, but that does not seem to be a sufficient reason for setting aside the name.
1. E. marginata, Banks and Sol. ex Gaertn. Fruct. i. 283, t. 59.—Stems slender, branched, wiry, flexuous, creeping at the base, 4–12 in. long or more. Leaves alternate, sessile or very shortly petiolate, ½–1¼ in. long, linear-oblong to oblong, mucronate, pale-green, rather rigid, coriaceous, longitudinally 5–7-nerved, transverse veinlets few. Flowers solitary, terminal or in the upper axils,, white, ⅓–¾ in. diam.; pedicels short, slender, erect. Perianth-segments subequal, ovate-lanceolate, acute. Stamens not half the length of the segments; filaments glabrous. Berry globose, ⅓ in. diam.—Callixene marginata, Lam. Illust. t. 248. C. parviflora, Hook. f. in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 632; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 254; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 281. C. melalantha, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 250. Luzuriaga parviflora, Kunth Enum. Pl. v. 281.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Mountain forests from Cape Colville and the Thames goldfields southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3500 ft. Puwatawata. November–February.
The New Zealand plant is said to differ from the South American mainly in the smaller flowers. This, however, is a variable character, and I have accordingly followed the "Genera Plantarum" in uniting the two species.
3. CORDYLINE, Comm.
Trees or shrubs; trunk long or short, sometimes almost wanting. Leaves crowded at the top of the stem or its branches, more rarely alternate along the stem, sessile or petioled, very long, coriaceous; veins parallel, more or less oblique to the midrib. Flowers hermaphrodite, in terminal much-branched panicles, solitary or ​fascicled along the branches, shortly pedicellate or almost sessile. Perianth narrow-campanulate or cylindric, 6-partite; segments narrow, all equal or the 3 inner rather longer. Stamens 6, inserted at the base of the segments, shorter or longer than them; filaments fihform or flattened; anthers narrow-oblong, dorsifixed. Ovary 3-celled; style filiform; stigma capitate or shortly 3-lobed; ovules numerous (4–16) in each cell. Berry globose, 3-celled, at first more or less succulent, but often dry when the seeds are fully ripe. Seeds few or many in each cell, sometimes solitary by abortion, usually curved; testa black, shining.
About 10 or 12 species are known, scattered through India, Malaya, Polynesia, and New Zealand, together with one species in South America. With the exception of the wide-ranging C. terminalis, all the species found in New Zealand are endemic.
A. Leaves contracted into a long and narrow canaliculate petiole. :
| Leaves 1–2½ ft., broadly oblanceolate or narrow-oblong; lateral veins fine. Panicle 1–2 ft.; branches simple, spreading. Flowers lilac | 1. C. terminalis. |
| Leaves 3–6 ft., linear-lanceolate; lateral veins strong, prominent. Panicle 2–5 ft., much branched. Flowers white | 2. C. Banksii. |
| B. Leaves sessile, ensiform, not contracted into a conspicuous petiole. ||
| Stem 15–40 ft. Leaves 1½–3 ft. × 1½–2½ in., rather thin; lateral veins fine, green | 3. C. australis. |
| Stem 5–20 ft. Leaves 2–6 ft. × 4–6 in., excessively thick and coriaceous; lateral veins coarse, conspicuous, red or yellow | 4. C. indivisa. |
| Stem wanting or very short. Leaves 1–3 ft. × ¼–⅔ in., narrow-linear | 5. C. pumilio. |
1. C. terminalis, Kunth in Abh. Aead. Berl. (1820) 30.—Stem slender, 3–8 ft. high. Leaves numerous, crowded, 1–2½ ft. long, 2–5 in. broad, broadly oblanceolate or almost oblong, acute or acuminate, gradually narrowed into a long petiole, thinly coriaceous, pale-green, midrib distinct beneath but obscure above; lateral veins numerous, fine, distinct, oblique; petiole 2–6 in. long, deeply canaliculated above, obtusely keeled beneath, dilated and sheathing at the base. Panicle 1–2 ft. long, broad, laxly branched; branches spreading, the lower ones again divided. Flowers solitary or 2–3 together along the branches of the panicle, sessile or very shortly pedicelled, ⅓ in. long, lilac; bracteoles 3, small, deltoid. Perianth-segments equal, longer than the tube. Stamens not exceeding the segments. Berry globose, ⅓ in. diam.—Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 21; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 174. C. Cheesemanii, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 508.
Kermadec Islands: Lower portions of Sunday Island, not common, T.F.C. North Island: Formerly cultivated by the Maoris in the Bay of Islands and other northern districts, now nearly extinct. Ti-pore. July–September.
​A most abundant plant throughout Polynesia, and stretching northwards through Queensland and New Guinea to Malaya and India. I have examined the specimens, cultivated in Mr. Reid's garden at Ahipara, upon which Mr. Kirk founded his C. Cheesemanii. They differ in no respect from the common Polynesian form of C. terminalis, and as they were found in an abandoned Maori cultivation they can only be looked upon as survivors from a period when the species was grown by the Maoris for food-purposes. Archdeacon Walsh (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxiii. 301) mentions other instances of C. terminalis having been found in old Maori cultivations, and argues with much probability that the plant was originally introduced by the Maoris on their first colonisation of New Zealand.
2. C. Banksii, Hook. f. in Gard. Chron. (1860) 792.—Stems slender, simple or sparingly branched, or several from the base forming large clumps, 4–10 ft. high. Leaves numerous, very long, erect below, drooping towards the tips, 3–6 ft. or even more, 1½–3½ in. broad at the middle, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, gradually contracted into a petiole 1–2 ft. long, striate and obliquely inany-nerved, 4–8 of the nerves on each side of the midrib stronger than the rest and either green or red or yellowish; midrib stout, flat above, prominent and rounded beneath; petiole deeply channelled above, rounded beneath. Panicles one or several to each stem, suberect or drooping, very large and lax, much and diffusely branched, 2–5 ft. long. Flowers longer and narrower than in C. australis, and not so closely placed, nearly ½ in. long, white, sessile or nearly so; bracteoles very small. Berry globose, ⅓ in. diam., white. Seeds 2–3 in each cell.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 282; Regel in Gartenfl. t. 344. C. Beuckelaerii, C. Koch, Wochenschr. viii. (1865) 91. C. erythrorhachis, Hort. ex Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. xiv. (1875) 541. C. diffusa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 330.
North and South Islands: Abundant from the North Cape to Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland. Sea-level to 3500 ft. Ti-ngahere. November–December.
A very distinct species, easily recognised by the large many-nerved leaves gradually narrowed into long slender petioles, large lax panicles, and long narrow flowers.
3. C. australis, Hook. f. in Gard. Chron. (1860) 792.—Variable in size and habit. Stems of young trees straight, erect, unbranched; of mature ones much branched above or more rarely from the base, 15–40 ft. high; trunk 1–5 ft. diam.; bark thick, rough and fissured. Leaves of young plants scattered along the stem, 1–2 ft. long, ½–1 in. broad; of older plants forming a dense round head at the top of the stem or branches, 1½–3 ft. long, 1½–2½ in. broad, ensiform, acute or acuminate, contracted just above the broad sheathing base but not petiolate, flat, firm, coriaceous; midrib indistinct; veins numerous, fine, parallel. Panicles terminal, erect or drooping, large, 2–4 ft. long, 1–2 ft. diam., much ​and repeatedly branched; branches spreading, with long lanceolate bracts at the base. Flowers ¼–⅓ in. diam., crowded, white, sweet-scented, very shortly pedicelled; bracteoles 3, ovate-deltoid. Perianth-segments linear-oblong, obtuse, recurved. Stamens almost equalling the segments; anthers oblong. Style subulate; stigma 3-cuspidate. Berry white or bluish-white, globose, ¼ in. diam. Seeds 1–3 in each cell, black, angled.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 281; Bot. Mag. t. 5636 (not t. 2835); Kirk, Forest Fl. t. 141. C. superbiens, C. Koch, Wochen. (1859) 381. C. indivisa, Regel, Gartenfl. (1859) 331 (not of Steud.). C. lentiginosa, Linden and Andre, Illustr. Hort. xvii. (1870) t. 35. C. Veitchii, Regel, Gartenfl. (1871) 149. C. calocoma, Hort. ex Baker, Journ. Linn. Soc. xiv. (1875) 542. C. Forsteri, F. Muell. Select Pl. 58. C. Sturmii, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. (1883) 331. Dracæna australis, Forst. Prodr. n. 151; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 149. Dracænopsis australis, Planch. in Fl. des Serves (1850–51) sub. t. 569.
North and South Islands: Abundant throughout. Stewart Island: Rare, Kirk. Sea-level to 2500 ft. Ti; Ti-kauka; Ti-rahau; Palm-lily. November–January.
Universally known to New Zealand residents by the inappropriate name of "cabbage-tree" The foliage yields a strong and durable fibre, and has been recommended for paper-making Largely planted for scenic effect in gardens and shrubberies, and extensively grown for decorative purposes in Europe. Varieties with bronzy or variegated foliage are occasionally seen. Mr. Colenso's C. Sturmii has broader and thinner leaves, and may be entitled to recognition as a variety, but at present I am only acquainted with it through a single indifferent specimen.
4. C. indivisa, Steud. Nom. ed. ii., i. 419.—Stem stout, erect, rarely branched, 5–25 ft. high. Leaves very numerous, spreading all round and forming an enormous massive head, 2–6 ft. long, 4–6 in. broad at the middle, broadly ensiform, acuminate, usually contracted below and again expanded at the sheathing base, excessively thick and coriaceous, flat, greenish with a faint purplish or reddish tint above, glaucous beneath, midrib very thick and prominent at the base, but gradually decreasing in size upwards, lateral veins very numerous, strong, parallel, oblique to the midrib and with it usually coloured red or reddish-yellow. Panicle very large, densely branched, pendulous, 2–4 ft. long including the stout peduncle; bracts at the base broad, massive, the lower ones usually exceeding the panicle; branches very close-set, divided at the base, simple above, 1 in. across with the flowers on. Flowers shortly pedicelled, densely crowded, ⅓ in. long, white; bracteoles of the lower flowers sometimes equalling them, of the upper ones minute. Perianth-tube campanulate; segments sharply recurved. Anthers broadly oblong. Berry ¼ in. diam., globose, bluish. Seeds 5–6 in each cell, angled; testa black, shining.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 258; Gard. Chron. (1860) 792; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 282. C. Hookeri, ​Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. vi. (1874) 245. C. Hectori, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxv. (1893) 334. Dracæna indivisa, Forst. Prodr. n. 150; Pl. Escul. n. 38; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 148; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 301.
North Island: Mountain districts from the Thames goldfields and Te Aroha southwards. South Island: Along the western side from Collingwood and Westport to Dusky Sound. 1500–4000 ft. Toii. December–January.
By far the finest species of the genus. I have followed Sir J. D. Hooker in considering the plant common in subalpine localities in the North Island and north-west portion of the South Island to be the same as Forster's Dracæna indivisa, originally gathered in Dusky Sound. Most New Zealand botanists, however, treat the two forms as distinct, apparently on the ground of the supposed larger and longer flowers of the southern plant. But, so far as I am aware, flowering specimens of Forster's plant do not exist in any New Zealand herbarium, and the earlier descriptions are in conflict with one another as to the size of the flower. As there is little, if any, difference in habit or foliage, it appears to me that the most prudent course is to keep the two plants together until a thorough comparison of their characters can be made.
5. C. pumilio, Hook. f. in Gard. Chron. (1860) 792.—Small, usually stemless, but in some varieties with a short slender stem 1–3 ft. high. Leaves very numerous, densely rosulate, 1–3 ft. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, narrow-linear, acuminate, coriaceous; lateral veins several, evident, parallel; midrib stout, prominent on both surfaces; margins often finely scaberulous. Panicles terminal, erect or inclined, very slender, laxly branched, 1–3 ft. long; branches long, slender, spreading. Flowers irregularly scattered along the branches, rather remote, shortly pedicelled, small, white or bluish-white, iin. diam.; pedicels variable in length. Perianth-segments oblong, obtuse. Berry globose, ⅕ in. diam., bluish-white. Seeds 1 or 2 in each cell.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 282. C. stricta, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 257, t. 58 (not of Endl).
North Island: From the North Cape to Wellington, but rare and local to the south of the East Cape. Sealevel to 1500 ft. Ti-rauriki. November–December.
A variable plant, but well marked by the small size, usually stemless habit, narrow leaves, lax slender panicle, and small flowers. The roots are fleshy and saccharine, and were formerly cooked and eaten by the Maoris.
4. ASTELIA, Banks and Sol.
Large or small densely tufted perennial herbs, usually more or less clothed with silky or chaffy hairs or scales. Leaves numerous, linear, all radical or crowded near the base of the stem, with broad imbricate sheathing bases. Flowering stem or scape usually long, panicled above and many-flowered, rarely short and few-flowered, usually densely silky or woolly. Flowers small, diœcious. Perianth persistent, 6-partite; segments subequal, connate at the base into a short hemispherical tube or distinct, spreading or reflexed. Male flowers: Stamens 6, affixed to the base of the segments; filaments filiform; anthers oblong or linear-oblong. Rudimentary ovary pre​sent. Female flowers: Staminodia present. Ovary sessile, broadly ovoid or oblong, 1-celled with 3 parietal placentas, or 3-celled with the placentas in the axis; ovules numerous on each placenta; style very short; stigma 3-lobed. Fruit an indehiscent more or less fleshy oblong or ovoid or subglobose berry. Seeds several, ovoid or oblong, straight or curved, terete or angular; testa black, crustaceous; embryo small, cylindric; albumen fleshy.
A small genus of 12 or 13 species, with its headquarters in New Zealand, but with 1 species in south eastern Australia and Tasmania, 1 in Fiji, 2 or 3 in the Sandwich Islands, and 1 in antarctic America. In New Zealand it forms a prominent part of the vegetation, especially in the northern forests, to which one or two of the species often give a peculiar aspect. The species are by no means easy of discrimination, partly from a certain amount of similarity in the ioliage, and partly from the flowers being dioecious, thus making it difficult to match the sexes. When dealing with fresh specimens these difficulties in great measure disappear, particularly if due attention is paid to the structure of the ovary and the size and shape of the ripe fruit, both of which afford excellent characters. The student will find some valuable remarks on this point in Mr. Kirk's notes on the genus, published in Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. iv., pp. 241–247. With respect to the remarkable diversity existing in the genus in the placentation of the ovary, reference should be made to the "Flora Antarctica," Vol. ii., p. 357.
In the following arrangement I have adopted Hooker's identification of the two species originally described by Cunningham. But Cunningham's diagnoses, such as they are, do not satisfactorily match Hooker's plants, and it has been suggested that he had other species in his mind. The question is one which cannot be settled, if settled at all, without reference to Cunningham's collections, all of which are outside the colony, and beyond my reach. But taking into account Hooker's remarks in the "Flora of New Zealand" (Vol. i., p. 251), where he says, "Cunningham confused all the species and sexes, examined none, and referred at random to Banks and Solander's drawings and notes, substituting names of his own for theirs," it appears highly doubtful whether such an examination would be at all conclusive. An alteration of the present nomenclature, which has received universal acceptance, would be a matter much to be deplored.
I have had much trouble with the species, 10 in all, described by Colenso in the Trans. N.Z. Inst. Unfortunately, few of them are represented by named specimens in his herbarium; and his descriptions are so vague, and so much overloaded with trivial details, that it is difficult to come to an opinion respecting them. But I can see no grounds for supposing that they are really distinct, or represent anything more than individual differences.
A. Berry 1-celled. Ovules attached to 3 parietal placentas. :
| Small, subalpine. Leaves 1–8 in., glabrous or scaly. Scape few-flowered. Berry oblong, ⅓–½ in. long | 1. A. linearis. |
| Leaves 2–5 ft. × ½–1 in., glabrous or silky. Scape panicled, many-flowered; female prostrate in fruit. Berry globose, ⅕ in. diam. Seeds terete | 2. A. Cunninghamii. |
| B. Berry 3-celled. Ovules attached to the inner angles of the cells. ||
| * Perianth not enlarged or coloured in fruit. ||
| Leaves 2–6 ft. × ½–1½ in., not conspicuously 3-nerved. Female scape stout, erect in fruit. Flowers ¼ in. long. Berry ⅓ in. long, ovoid, purplish-black. Seeds angled | 3. A. Banksii. ​ |
| Leaves 3–6 ft. × ¾–1¾ in., conspicuously 3-nerved and plaited. Female scape prostrate in fruit. Flowers ¼ in. long. Berry ⅓ in. diam., globose, red | 4. A. trinervia. |
| Leaves 2–5 ft. × 1½–2½ in., conspicuously 3-nerved, not plaited. Flowers large, narrow, ½ in. long. Female scape not prostrate in fruit. Berry ⅕ in. diam., globose, red | 5. A. Solandri. |
| ** Perianth enlarged in fruit, coloured within. ||
| Leaves 2–6 ft. × ½–4 in., 3-nerved. Flowers ⅓ in. long, dark purplish-green. Female scape very stout, erect in fruit. Berry ovoid-globose, ½–⅔ in. diam., orange-yellow | 6. A. nervosa. |
1. A. linearis, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 76.—A small densely-tufted herb. Rhizome creeping, branched, clothed with the shaggy bases of the old leaves. Leaves terminating the branches of the rhizome, all radical, crowded, spreading, 1–8 in. long, 1/10–1/4 in. broad, narrow-linear, acute or acuminate, sheathing at the base, thick and coriaceous, nerved, often channelled above, slightly keeled beneath, margins recurved, both surfaces clothed when young with silvery or reddish-brown erect or appressed scales, becoming almost glabrous when old; sheaths broad, appressed, membranous, scarious, thickly covered with narrow hyaline silvery scales. Male flowers: Scape slender, equalling the leaves or shorter than them, simple or forked, 3–9-flowered; bracts 1–2, linear-elongate; pedicels rather long, slender. Perianth-segments silky externally, spreading or reflexed, knobbed at the tip. Filaments much shorter than the segments; anthers oblong. Rudimentary ovary broad, narrowed into a short thick style. Female flowers: Scape very short, almost concealed at the base of the leaves, 1–5-flowered. Perianth-segments longer and narrower, erect. Staminodia present, minute. Ovary large, narrow oblong-ovoid, 1-celled; stigma-sessile, 3-lobed; ovules numerous, attached in 2 series to 3 parietal placentas. Berry large for the size of the plant, ⅓–½ in. long, narrow-oblong, obscurely trigonous, fleshy, red. Seeds obovoid, not angled, smooth, black, shining.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 284. A. minima, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 611.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Moist ground in subalpine localities from the East Cape and Ruapehu southwards, not uncommon. Usually from 3000 ft. to 5000 ft., but descends to sea-level in Stewart Island and the Auckland Islands. November–January.
2. A. Cunninghamii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 259.—A densely tufted species, epiphytic or terrestrial. Leaves numerous, 2–5 ft. long, ½–1 in. broad at the middle, drawn out into a long acuminate point, contracted below, and then gradually widened into a broad sheathing base, rigid and coriaceous, glabrous or sparingly silky above, clothed with a thin silvery pellicle beneath, midrib and margins silky, nerves 10–12, usually one stronger than the rest on each ​side of the midrib, or sometimes a prominent bundle of 2–3 placed close together; margins recurved; sheathing base clothed with long dense white silky hairs. Male flowers: Scape 1–3 ft. long, very slender at the base, stouter above, trigonous, shaggy throughout with silky white hairs, panicled above; branches numerous, slender, often flexuous and interlaced; bracts long, leafy. Flowers numerous, small, ⅙ in. long, greenish-yellow or reddish-yellow or maroon. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acuminate, spreading or reflexed, the 3 outer rather larger than the inner. Stamens about half as long as the segments; anthers small, broadly oblong. Female flowers: Scape shorter, with a smaller and more closely branched panicle, branches shorter and more erect. Flowers rather smaller; segments not so spreading. Ovary ovoid-globose, 1-celled; ovules attached to 3 parietal placentas. Berry red, globose, ⅕ in. diam. Seeds linear-oblong, curved, terete, not angled.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 283. A. polyneuron, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 333. (?)A. graminifolia. Col. l.c. xix. (1887) 267. Hamelinia veratroides, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 158, t. 24, excl. fig. c. d.
Var. Hookeriana, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iv. (1872) 244.—Smaller and more slender, seldom exceeding 3 ft. Scape very slender; branches of male panicle seldom interlacing. Flowers rather smaller, claret-coloured. Berry nearly black, placentas very feebly developed.
North Island: Abundant in woods throughout. South Island: Nelson—Near Collingwood, Travers; Westport, Townson! Charlestown, Kirk! Sea-level to 2500 ft. Kowharawhara. December–January; ripe fruit November–December. Var. Hookeriana: Lava-fields on the Auckland Isthmus, Rangitoto Island, Little Barrier Island, &c. April–June; ripe fruit May–June.
Very near to A. Banksii in habit and general appearance, but widely differing in the 1-celled ovary and small globose berry with terete seeds. I have quoted A. Richard's Hamelinia veratroides as a synonym, his drawing of the female panicle exactly corresponding; but the section of the ovary given is that of A. Banksii, probably through some confusion of specimens.
3. A. Banksii, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 296.—A large densely tufted terrestrial or rupestral species. Leaves very numerous, closely packed, erect, 2–6 ft. long, ½–1½ in. broad at the middle, narrow-linear, tapering into a long acuminate point, narrowed below and then gradually expanded into a broad sheathing base, glabrous or slightly scurfy above, clothed with a thin silvery pellicle beneath, with 3–6 distinct and equally prominent nerves on each side of the midrib; margins recurved; sheathing base most densely clothed with long soft silky hairs. Male flowers: Scape slender at the base, stouter above, trigonous, excessively shaggy with dense white silky hairs, panicled; branches numerous, slender, often flexuous, 4–9 in. long; bracts at the base leafy, with long slender points. Flowers many, about ¼ in. long; perianth-segments ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, spreading, the 3 outer larger than the inner. Stamens shorter than the segments; filaments subulate; ​anthers oblong. Female flowers: Scape shorter and stouter; branches shorter, crowded, more erect. Flowers smaller; perianth-segments ovate-oblong, acute, erect. Ovary ovoid-conical, 3-celled; ovules pendulous from the inner angle of each cell; stigmas 3, sessile. Berry ovoid, ⅓ in. long, purplish-black when fully ripe, reddish-purple when immature. Seeds sharply angled; testa black.—Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 260; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 284.
North Island: From the North Cape to Hawke's Bay and Taranaki; usually near the coast. Sea-level to 2500 ft. April; ripe fruit February to March.
Usually taller and stouter than A. Cunninghamii, with larger broader leaves, larger flowers, and much stouter female scape, erect in fruit. The ovary is essentially different, being 3-celled, with the ovules attached to the inner angles of the cells; and the large ovoid berry, with its angled seeds, is altogether unlike the small globose one of A. Cunninghamii, with its terete seeds. It is an abundant plant on the coast-line of the northern half of the North Island, often forming a large portion of the undergrowth on wooded headlands or steep declivities near the sea.
4. A. trinervia, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iv. (1872) 246.—A large densely tufted terrestrial species. Leaves nuxnerous, 3–6 ft. long or even more, ¾–1¾ in. broad at the middle, tapering into a long attenuated point, narrowed below and then gradually expanded into a broad sheathing base, not so coriaceous as in A. Banksii, pale-green, plaited, glabrous above, clothed with a thin silvery pellicle beneath, conspicuously 3-nerved with less evident nerves between; margins broadly recurved; sheathing base clothed with long white silky hairs. Male flowers: Scape long, slender, densely shaggy with white silky hairs, panicled; branches slender, flexuous and often interlaced, 6–12 in. long or more; bracts large, fohaceous. Flowers numerous, ¼ in. long; perianth-segments lanceolate, acuminate, spreading. Stamens shorter than the segments; filaments slender; anthers oblong. Female flowers: Scape as in the male but panicle smaller with fewer, shorter, and more erect branches. Flowers smaller; perianth-segments shorter, erect. Ovary globose, 3-celled; ovules pendulous from the inner angles of the cells; stigmas 3, sessile. Fruiting-scape usually prostrate. Berry globose, ⅓ in. diam., bright-red. Seeds sharply angled, testa black.
North Island: In woods from the North Cape to Wellington, very plentiful north of the East Cape and Taupo. South Island: Marlborough—Rai Valley, Macmahon! Sea-level to 3000 ft. Kauri-grass. March–May; ripe fruit February and March.
Separated from A. Banksii by the larger size and less rigid habit, broader and softer pale-green conspicuously 3-nerved and plaited leaves, prostrate fruitingscape, and red globose berry.
5. A. Solandri, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 297.—Large, densely tufted, often forming immense clumps on the limbs and trunks of ​forest-trees or on rocks. Leaves very numerous, spreading and recurved, 2–5 ft. long, 1½–3 in. wide at the middle, linear-ensiform, narrowed above into a long acuminate point, suddenly expanded below into a sheathing base sometimes 4–5 in. across, conspicuously 3-nerved, glabrous and deeply channelled in front, keeled and with a thin white silvery pellicle beneath; sheathing base black, at the extreme base white and fleshy, glabrous or clothed with copious long white silky hairs. Male flowers: Scape stout, much shorter than the leaves, densely silky below, panicled; branches few, 5–8, simple, 3–9 in. long, 1 in. broad with the flowers on; bracts at the base of the branches very large, leafy, acuminate. Flowers very numerous, densely crowded, ½ in. long, pale lemon-yellow; pedicels slender, ¼ in., each subtended by a linear bract. Perianth 6-partite; segments reflexed, linear, obtuse, silky externally. Stamens as long as the segments; anthers linear, erect, sagittate at the base. Female flowers: Scape stout, branched as in the male; but branches longer and more slender, sometimes 12–14 in. long by ¾ in. diam., usually drooping in fruit. Flowers much smaller; perianth with a hemispherical tube closely surrounding the ovary; segments reflexed. Ovary globose, 3-celled; ovules numerous, attached to the inner angles of the cells. Berry rather small, ⅕ in. diam., globose, bright-red. Seeds small, obovoid, slightly curved, not angled, black.—Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 260; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 284; Bot. May. t. 5503. A. microsperma, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 251. A. albicans, Col. l.c. 252. A. hastata, Col. l.c. xix. (1887) 265.
North Island: Abundant in forests throughout. South Island: Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander; Pelorus Valley, Rutland, Macmahon! Nelson—Common on the West Coast, from Collingwood southwards. Sea-level to 2700 ft. Kahakaha. January–February.
A very distinct species, at once known by the broad almost glabrous 3-nerved leaves with a nearly black sheathing base, by the densely placed flowers, the males being much longer and narrower than in any other species, and by the small red globose berry. It is a conspicuous plant in all the forest districts of the North Island, from its habit of growing perched high up on the limbs of tall forest-trees, where it forms huge tufts resembling the nests of some gigantic bird, for which, in fact, it was mistaken when first seen by Cook and his officers in 1769.
6. A. nervosa, Banks and Sol. ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 260.—Stout, densely tufted, often forming large masses in moist or boggy ground. Leaves numerous, spreading, 2-5 or even up to 8 ft. long, ½–3 in. broad, or in large specimens as much as 4 in., linear-lanceolate or linear-ensiform, acuminate, dilated at the sheathing base, coriaceous, many-nerved, one nerve on each side stouter than the rest and with the midrib often coloured red, glabrous above or rarely silky, beneath more or less scurfy or clothed with silky appressed hairs, rarely almost glabrous; margins recurved, usually silky; sheathing base densely villous with long ​silky hairs. Male flowers: Scape very stout, erect, 6 in. to 2 ft. long, thickening upwards to the base of the panicle, where it is sometimes 1½ in. diam., obtusely triquetrous, lower portion shaggy with copious long silky hairs, upper part silky or glabrate. Panicle 4–16 in. long, much branched; bracts very long, lanceolate, acuminate. Flowers scattered, dark-green or purplish-green, sweet-scented, ⅓–½ in. diam.; pedicels 1/10–1/6 in. long. Perianth-segments ovate-lanceolate, spreading, ultimately reflexed. Stamens equalling the segments; filaments subulate; anthers broadly oblong. Female flowers: Scape as in the male but shorter; panicle much shorter and more compact; branches short, stiff, erect. Flowers smaller, crowded, purplish-black, pedicels very short. Perianth segments smaller, reflexed. Ovary broadly conical, faintly grooved,, 3-celled; ovules numerous, attached to the inner angle of the cells. Berry globose, ½–⅔ in. diam., orange-yellow, base enclosed in the persistent and enlarged tube of the perianth, which is also coloured yellow inside. Seeds 2–5 in each cell, smooth, black, sharply angled.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 284. A. grandis, Hook. f. ex T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iv. (1872) 245. A. fragrans, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 333.
Var. montana, Kirk, MS.—Smaller in all its parts. Leaves rigid, usually silky on both surfaces, sometimes villous. Scape shorter and panicle smaller, but flowers apparently the same as in the type.—A. Petriei, Cockayne in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1899) 419.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 4500 ft. October–January.
An excessively variable plant. Banks and Solander's description and drawing, which must be taken to represent the type, exactly match a large broad-leaved form, common in many lowland districts in both the North and South Islands, which has been described as a distinct species under the name of A. grandis. Sylvestral states of this have longer and narrower softer leaves, with a longer and more slender male panicle, but the flowers and fruit present no differences of importance. At higher altitudes, and particularly in exposed localities, the leaves are smaller, narrower, and often rigid, and usually much more silky or villous than the type. Further research may disclose characters sufficient to separate this as a species.
5. DIANELLA, Lam.
Glabrous perennial herbs. Rootstock often branched. Leaves numerous, crowded at the base of the stem, linear, distichous, equitant and sheathing at the base. Flowers pedicellate, nodding, laxly cymose; cymes arranged in a broad open terminal panicle. Perianth marcescent; segments 6, distinct, spreading. Stamens 6, hypogynous, or the 3 inner affixed to the base of the segments; filaments thickened; anthers erect or recurved, basifixed, opening by terminal pores or short longitudinal slits. Ovary sessile or shortly stalked, 3-celled; ovules 4–8 in each cell; style filiform; stigma minute. Fruit a globose berry. Seeds few, ovoid or compressed; testa black, smooth and shining; albumen fleshy; embryo small, linear.
Species 11 or 12, chiefly Australian, but found also in New Zealand, Polynesia, tropical Asia, and the Mascarene Islands. The single New Zealand species extends to Norfolk Island and several parts of Polynesia.
1. D. intermedia, Endl. Prodr. Fl. Ins. Norfolc. 28.—Rhizome stout, woody, creeping, usually with underground runners. Leaves numerous, crowded at the top of the rhizome, distichous and sheathing at the base, 1½–3 ft. long or more, ½–¾ in. wide, narrow linear-ensiform, acute or acuminate, keeled, margins and keel minutely scabrid. Panicle 6–24 in. long, much branched; peduncles and pedicels slender, the latter curved. Flowers small, ¼–⅓ in. diam., greenish or purplish - white. Perianth-segments oblong, spreading; the 3 outer usually 5–6-nerved; the 3 inner rather broader, 3-nerved. Filaments expanded into a yellow or orange struma often thicker than the anther; anther linear-oblong, yellow. Berry ½–¾ in. long, broadly oblong, bright-blue.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 300; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl Nov. Zel. i. 255; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 283. D. nigra, Col. in. Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 339. D. reflexa, Col. l.c. xxvii. (1895) 396.
North and South Islands: From the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, abundant. Sea level to 2500 ft. Turutu. November–December.
6. PHORMIUM, Forst.
Tall rigid and coriaceous herbs. Rhizome short, stout, branched, with thick and fleshy perpendicular rootlets. Leaves all radical, long, linear-ensiform, equitant and distichous, exceedingly tough and coriaceous. Flowering stem or scape tall, leafless, with alternate bracteate branches at the top; bracts caducous. Flowers pedicelled on the branches of a terminal panicle, dull-red or yellow; pedicels jointed. Perianth tubular, curved; segments 6, connate at the base, free but connivent above; the 3 outer lanceolate, erect, acute; the 3 inner rather longer, with spreading tips. Stamens 6, inserted at the base of the segments and longer than them; filaments filiform; anthers linear-oblong. Ovary sessile, oblong, obtusely trigonous, 3-celled; style slender, equalling or exceeding the stamens, declinate; stigma small, capitate; ovules numerous in each cell. Capsule subcoriaceous or almost membranous, oblong or linear, trigonous or almost terete, straight or twisted, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds many, oblong, greatly compressed; testa black, shining.
Phormium, or the "New Zealand flax," is a very remarkable genus of 2 species, confined to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Its value as producing one of the strongest and most durable fibres of the vegetable kingdom is too well known to require recapitulation here.
| Leaves 3–9 ft, dark-green, glaucous beneath; margins usually bordered with a coloured line. Flowers dull-red. Capsule short, erect or inclined, trigonous, 2–4 in. long | 1. P. tenax. ​ |
| Leaves 2–5 ft., pale-green, less rigid; margins seldom coloured. Flowers yellowish. Capsule long, pendulous, cylindrical, terete, twisted, 4–7 in. long | 2. P. Cookianum. |
1. P. tenax, Forst. Char. Gen. 48.—Leaves 3–9 ft. long or more, 2–5 in. broad, linear-ensiform, acute or acuminate, apex slit when mature, distichous and equitant at the base, flat above, keeled, very tough and coriaceous, dark-green above, often glaucous beneath, margins and midrib bordered with a red or orange line. Scape very variable in height, 5–15 ft., glabrous, terete, reddish-purple. Flowers numerous, 1–2 in. long, usually dull-red. Inner perianth-segments erect or slightly recurved at the tip. Capsule erect or inclined, stout, trigonous, 2–4 in. long, not twisted.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 153; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 304; Raoul, Choix, 41; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 256; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 286.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands: Abundant throughout, especially in lowland swamps and alluvial grounds. Sea-level to 4000 ft. New Zealand Flax; Harakeke; Korari (the scape); Muka (the fibre). November–January.
A familiar plant to all residents in New Zealand, and, with the exception of certain well-known timber-trees, probably of more economic importance than any other indigenous species. For information as to its value as a fibre-plant, and for full particulars as to the mode of preparing the fibre, its microscopical and chemical properties, &c., reference should be made to "Phormium tenax as a Fibrous Plant," edited by Sir James Hector, and issued by the Geological Survey Department (second edition, Wellington, 1889). This publication also contains a bibliography of the numerous official reports, memoirs, and short papers which have been published from time to time in reference to Phormium, several of them containing much valuable information.
P. tenax varies much in size, the colour of the leaf and the extent to which it is recurved and split at the tip, the tint of the coloured line bordering the margins and midrib, the colour of the flowers, and the size of the capsule. Some of the varieties also differ considerably in the strength of the fibre. Considering the economic importance of the plant, it is singular that no systematic attempt has been made to collect the whole of the varieties and cultivate them side by side in one at least of the public gardens of the colony. Until this is done, it is practically impossible to describe them in a scientific manner. Isolated descriptions of a few, without comparison with the rest, would be of little use. Some varieties with the leaves variegated in a riband-like manner with white or creamy-yellow, and others with bronzy foliage, are largely cultivated for ornamental purposes, but are not usually capable of being reproduced by seed.
2. P. Cookianum, Le Jolis in Bull. Soc. Hort. Cherb. 71.—Much smaller and less rigid than P. tenax. Leaves 2–5 ft. long, rarely more, 1–2½ in. broad, acuminate, apex sometimes conspicuously split, but usually much less so than in P. tenax, pale-green, seldom glaucous, margins and midrib not usually bordered with a coloured line. Scape 2–7 ft. high, much more slender and with a smaller panicle, green. Flowers 1–1½ in. long; the outer segments yellow or yellowish-red, the inner green or greenish-yellow, with evidently recurved tips. Capsule long, pendulous, cylindrical, terete, twisted, 4–7 in. long.—P. Colensoi, Hook. f. in ​Raoul, Choix, 41; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 286. P. Forsterianum, Col. in Hook. Land. Journ. Bot. iii. (1844) 8. P. Hookeri, Gunn in Bot. Mag. t. 6973.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 4000 ft. Wharariki. November–January.
The small size, pale colour, yellowish flowers, and long twisted capsules distinguish this from P. tenax; but it is in some respects an ill-defined species, including several forms respecting which additional information is required. One of these, figured in the "Botanical Magazine" under the name of P. Hookeri, is remarkable for its flaccid much recurved leaves with long fissured tips, Sir J. D. Hooker considers that it is more different from P. tenax and P. Cookianum than they are from one another; but his plate shows the floral characters to be very similar to those of P. Cookianum.
7. BULBINELLA, Kunth.
Perennial herbs. Rootstock short, stout, with numerous fleshy almost tuberous roots. Leaves all radical, numerous, linear, sheathing at the base, often fleshy. Scape simple or very rarely branched, naked, terminating in a dense many-flowered raceme. Flowers rather small, yellow or white. Perianth marcescent, 6-partite; segments subequal, distinct or slightly connate at the base, 1-nerved. Stamens 6, hypogynous or adnate to the base of the segments; filaments subulate-filiform; anthers versatile. Ovary subglobose, 3-celled; style filiform; stigma small, capitate, obscurely 3-lobed; ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule broadly ovoid or subglobose, membranous, 3-celled, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds few, often compressed and triquetrous; testa black.
About 14 species are known, all confined to South Africa with the exception of the two described herein.
| Very stout. Leaves often 2 in. broad; scape 2–3 ft. high. Flowers diœcious | 1. B. Rossii. |
| More slender. Leaves ⅙–¾ in. broad; scape 1–2 ft. high. Flowers hermaphrodite | 2. B. Hookeri. |
1. B. Rossii, Benth. and Hook. f. Gen. Plant. iii. 784.—A stout perennial herb 9 in. to 3 ft. high; stems sometimes 1½ in. diam. at the base. Leaves numerous, all radical, outer spreading or recurved, inner ascending, 6 in. to 2 ft. long, ½–2 in. broad, broadly ensiform, obtuse or subacute, fleshy, glabrous, concave above, finely-striate. Scape stout, erect, terete, ¼–⅓ in. diam. Raceme very stout and dense, 3–6 in. long, 1–2½ in. diam. Flowers numerous, very densely crowded, bright-yellow, polygamo-diœcious, ⅓ in. diam.; pedicels slender, erect, ½–¾ in. long; bracts lanceolate. Perianth-segments linear-oblong or oblong-ovate, obtuse, spreading in the male flowers, more erect in the female. Stamens of the male flowers shorter than the segments; filaments subulate, terete, glabrous; anthers oblong. Ovary of the females broadly ovoid; style short, stout; stigma small, obscurely lobed. Capsule ¼–⅓ in. ​long, broadly ovoid. Seeds usually 2 in each cell, trigonous; testa black, shining.—Chrysobactron Rossii, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 72, t. 44, 45. Anthericum Rossii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 285.
Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant. December–January.
A most magnificent plant, excellently figured and described in the "Flora Antarctica " Sir J. D. Hooker states that he has seen a specimen between 3 ft. and 4 ft. high, having 3 crowns of leaves, and bearing no less than 7 racemes of flowers. In some localities on Campbell Island it forms so large a proportion of the vegetation, and the golden-yellow flowers are so abundantly produced, that its presence can be observed at a distance of more than a mile from the shore.
2. B. Hookeri, Benth. and Hook. f. Gen. Plant,. iii. 784.—Very variable in size, usually from 1 to 2 ft. high, but sometimes attaining 3 ft., and occasionally dwarfed to 3 or 4 in. Leaves numerous, narrower in proportion than in B. Rossii, ⅙–¾ in. broad, narrow-linear, gradually tapering upwards, channelled in front, glabrous. Scape much more slender than in B. Rossii; racemes not so dense - flowered, varymg in length from 1 to 10 in. Flowers ⅓ in. diam., bright-yellow, hermaphrodite; pedicels slender, longer or shorter than the lanceolate bracts. Perianth-segments linear-oblong, obtuse, spreadmg. Stamens ¾ the length of the segments; filaments very slender, glabrous. Capsule oblong, ¼ in. long.—Chrysobactron Hookeri, Col. in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 817; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 255; Bot. Mag. t. 4602. Anthericum Hookeri, Col. in Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 286.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Mountain districts from Lake Taupo and Mount Egmont southwards, abundant. Sea-level to 4500 ft. October–January.
8. ARTHROPODIUM, R. Br.
Tufted perennial herbs, with fleshy fibrous roots. Leaves radical or crowded near the base of the stem, linear or lanceolate, sheathing at the base. Scape or peduncle simple or branched above. Flowers in simple or branched racemes or panicles, white or purplish; pedicels slender, jointed at the middle, solitary or few together in the axil of a scarious bract. Perianth persistent but not twisted, 6-partite; segments distinct, spreading, 3-nerved, subequal or the inner rather broader. Stamens 6, hypogynous or attached to the very base of the segments, shorter than the perianth; filaments bearded; anthers linear, erect, basifixed, introrsely dehiscent. Ovary sessile, 3-celled; ovules several in each cell; style filiform; stigma small. Capsule subglobose, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds usually few in each cell, angular; testa black, smooth or minutely granulate.
Besides the two species found in New Zealand, both of which are endemic, there are 5 or 6 in Australia, and 1 in New Caledonia.
| Tall and stout, 1–2½ ft. Leaves fleshy, 1–2 in. broad. Flowers ¾–1 in. diam. | 1. A. cirrhatum. |
| Slender, 3–12 in. high. Leaves grassy, flaccid, 1/10–1/4 in. broad. Flowers ¼ in. diam. | 2. A. candidum. |
1. A. cirrhatum, R. Br. in Bot. Mag. t. 2350.—A perfectly glabrous tufted herb 1–3 ft. high; root with copious long fleshy fibres. Leaves numerous, spreading, 1–2 ft. long, 1–2½ in. broad, lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute or acuminate, narrowed to an equitant and subdistichous base, flat or obtusely keeled, rather fleshy. Scape stout, terete, naked; panicle large, often 1 ft. long, deltoid, much branched; primary bracts broad, foliaceous. Flowers white, ¾–1 in. diam., 1–3 together along the branches of the panicle; pedicels ⅓–⅔ in. long. Perianth-segments oblong-lanceolate, acuminate. Filaments filiform at the base, provided above the middle with a thickened densely woolly appendage, which is produced downwards into 2 woolly tails. Capsule oblong-globose, ⅓ in. long. Seeds black, opaque, angular.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 299; Raoul, Choix, 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 254; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 285. Anthericum cirratum, Forst. Prodr. n. 148; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 155.
North Island: From the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape to Wellington, not uncommon, especially near the sea. South Island: Nelson—Takaka, Kingsley; West Wanganui, Hursthouse. Rengarenga. November–December.
This differs from the other species of the genus in the woolly thickening at the middle of the filament being 2-lobed at the base, the lobes being revolute at the tip, somewhat after the fashion of a tendril, from whence the specific name.
2. A. candidum, Raoul, Choix Pl. Nouv. Zel. 14, t. 6.—A small slender glabrous herb 3–14 in. high; stem often swollen below the leaves and almost bulbous; roots long, fleshy. Leaves variable in length, 2–10 in. long, 1/10–1/4 in. broad, very narrow-linear, flat, grassy, membranous and flaccid. Scape very slender; raceme simple, rarely branched, usually overtopping the leaves. Flowers few or many, usually secund, solitary or the lower ones in twos or threes, white, ¼ in. diam.; pedicels slender, spreading or drooping; bracts long, linear-lanceolate, acuminate. Filaments naked at the base, then densely hairy almost up to the anther. Capsule globose, membranous, ⅙ in. diam. Seeds 2–3 in each cell, black, angled.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 254; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 285. A. reflexum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 275. A. ramulosum, Col. l.c. xxv. (1893) 337.
North and South Islands: From Cape Colville southwards to Foveaux Strait, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3500 ft. November–January.
I cannot see upon what grounds Mr. Colenso has distinguished his two species. The type specimens in his herbarium exactly match ordinary states o£ A. candidum.
9. HERPOLIRION, Hook. f.
A dwarf-perennial herb. Rhizome slender, creeping, branched. Leaves crowded on short shoots from the rhizome, all radical, linear, distichous, sheathing at the base. Flower solitary, terminal, almost sessile amongst the leaves. Perianth funnel-shaped, persistent, 6-partite; segments distinct, linear, subequal, 5-nerved. Stamens 6, attached to the base of the segments and shorter than them; filaments filiform; anthers linear, erect, twisted after flowering, cells introrse, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary subglobose, sessile, 3-celled; ovules several in each cell; style filiform; stigma terminal, punctiform. Capsule globose, enclosed in the persistent perianth, 3-celled, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds oblong, subcompressed, quite smooth; testa black, crustaceous.
A monotypic genus confined to the mountains of New Zealand, Tasmania, and south-eastern Australia.
1. H. novæ-zealandiæ, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 258.—Small, often forming broad patches in subalpine swamps. Leaves crowded, flat or involute, linear, striate, glaucous; the outer spreading or recurved, 1–2½ in. long; the inner much shorter, reduced to erect lanceolate sheathing bracts. Flower almost sessile, large for the size of the plant, ½–¾ in. long, lilac-blue or white. Perianth-segments erect below, spreading from a little below the middle. Stamens about half as long as the segments; filaments flattened, pubescent; anthers shortly sagittate at the base. Capsule globose-trigonous, ¼–⅓ in. diam.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 287. H. Tasmaniæ, Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 54, t. 132b.
North Island: Plains near Taupo, Colenso! Tryon! near Tongariro, H. Hill! T.F.C.; Whakaki, Hawke's Bay, Bishop Williams! South Island, Stewart Island: Not uncommon in subalpine swamps throughout. Usually from 2000 ft. to 4000 ft., but descends to sea-level in Otago and Stewart Island. December–January.
10. IPHIGENIA, Kunth.
Small glabrous herbs. Bulb tunicated. Stem simple, erect. Leaves few, scattered, linear, sheathing the stem. Flowers small, erect, solitary or corymbose. Perianth 6-partite, deciduous; segments free, all similar, linear or linear-oblong, spreading, flat. Stamens 6, hypogynous, shorter than the perianth; filaments flat; anthers oblong, versatile. Ovary superior, sessile, 3-celled; ovules numerous in each cell; styles 3, shortly connate at the base, linear, recurved, scigmatic along the inner edge. Capsule ovoid or oblong, 3–6-sulcate, 3-celled, loculicidally dehiscent. Seeds small, globose; testa thin, brown, appressed.
Besides the New Zealand species, which is endemic, there are two from India, one of which is also found in Australia, and one each from tropical Africa and Madagascar.
​1. I. novæ-zealandiæ, Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. xvii. (1879) 451.—Bulb (corm) subglobose, ⅓ in. diam.; sheaths reddish, membranous. Stem 1–2 in. high. Leaves 2 or rarely 3, ½–3 in. long, narrow-linear, sheathing the greater part of the stem and exceeding it. Flower solitary, ¼ in. diam. Perianth-segments 4–6, oblanceolate, acute, with 6–8 longitudinal veins. Stamens 4–6, slightly shorter than the segments; anthers white, subglobose. Ovary broadly oblong, 2–3-celled; styles 2, rarely 3, subulate. Capsule broadly oblong, usually 2-celled, ⅙–⅕ in. diam.—Anguillaria novæ-zealandiæ, Hook. f. ex T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) App. xi.
South Island: Canterbury—Lyall; swamps near Christchurch, Armstrong! near Burnham, Kirk! Banks Peninsula, Cockayne! Lake Grassmere, J. D. Enys! Rangitata Valley, Haast! Otago—Otepopo, Petrie! Sea-level to 2500 ft. November–December.