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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.

1. Donatia, Forst

1. Donatia, Forst.

Small densely tufted herbs, forming hard compact masses. Leaves densely imbricated, linear, coriaceous, quite entire. Flowers terminal, solitary, sessile, white. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, obconic; lobes 5–7, equal or unequal. Petals 5–10, linear or ovate. Stamens 2 or 3, inserted on the middle of an epigynous disc, and adnate to the base of the styles; filaments subulate or filiform; anthers didymous, extrorse. Ovary inferior, 2- or 3-celled; styles 2 or 3, short and thick or subulate, recurved; stigmas simple or capitellate; ovules numerous, affixed to placentas which are pendulous from the inner angle of the cells. Capsule turbinate, indehiscent, 2- or 3-celled. Seeds few in each cell, pendulous, obliquely ovoid; testa membranous; albumen fleshy; embryo small, remote from the hilum.

A genus of two species, one found in New Zealand and Tasmania, the other a native of Fuegia. Its exact systematic position is very doubtful; it was referred to Saxifrageœ by Hooker, who, however, also pointed out its affinity with the Stylidieœ, with which it agrees in the stamens being placed on the centre of an epigynous disc, in the extrorse anthers, and in the placentation. It was removed to that order by the late Baron Mueller ("Nuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano," xi., July, 1879). On the other hand, both Baillon and Engler retain it among the Saxifrages, the latter ("Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien," Teil iii. Abt. ii.a, p. 67) constituting it a new subsection of the order.

  • 1. D. novæ-zealandiæ, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 81, t. 20.—Stems short, 1–3 in. high, densely tufted, forming broad compact masses in mountain-bogs. Leaves very numerous, imbricated in many series and clothing the entire stem and branches, erect, page 135appressed, ⅓ in. long, subacute, shining, veinless, very thick and coriaceous, villous at the base. Flowers ⅓ in. diam., sunk amongst the uppermost leaves. Calyx-lobes 5, ovate, acute. Petals 5, quite free, ovate-oblong, obtuse, thick and fleshy. Stamens 2. Styles 2, short and thick, recurved. Capsule ⅕ in. long.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 58; Benth. Fl. Austral. ii. 450; F. Muell. Fragm. viii. 41.

    North Island: Mount Holdsworth, Tararua Range, W. Townson! South Island: Not uncommon in alpine bogs throughout. Stewart Island: Petrie! Kirk! Most abundant between 3000 and 5000 ft., but descends almost to sea-level on Stewart Island. December–March.