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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.

2. Logania, R. Br

page 443

2. Logania, R. Br.

Herbs or small shrubs. Leaves opposite, entire, usually connected by a transverse raised stipular line or short sheath, rarely with minute setaceous stipules. Flowers small, often unisexual, in terminal or axillary cymes or solitary. Calyx 5-partite. Corolla campanulate or with a cylindrical tube; lobes 5, rarely 4, spreading, imbricate. Stamens 5, rarely 4, inserted on the corolla-tube; filaments filiform; anthers included or exserted. Ovary 2-celled; style simple; stigma capitate or oblong; ovules usually several in each cell. Capsule oblong-ovoid or globose, obtuse or shortly acuminate, septicidally 2-valved, valves 2-fid, at length separating from the placentas. Seeds ovoid or more or less peltate.

Species 18, all confined to Australia except the following one, which is very imperfectly known, and may not belong to the genus. L. tetragona, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 188, and L. ciliolata, Hook. f. l.c. 737, have been proved to be species of Veronica, and are now known as V. dasyphylla and V. Gilliesiana, Kirk. L. Armstrongii, Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 347, t 28, f. 3, is Veronica uniflora, Kirk, which see.

1.L. depressa, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 177.—"A prostrate rigid woody shrub; branches densely interlaced, puberulous. Leaves ⅙–¼ in. long, coriaceous, veinless, linear-obovate or oblong, obtuse. Flowers minute, axillary, pedicelled, bracteate, solitary or in 3–5-flowered panicles, male only seen. Sepals oblong, obtuse, ciliate. Corolla scarcely longer than the calyx; lobes rounded. Filaments slender; anthers large, 2-cleft for half-way up. Ovary imperfect in my specimens (which are probably unisexual); style short, clavate; stigma oblong, thick. Fruit unknown."—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 188.

"North Island: Ruahine Mountains, Colenso. Very closely allied to the L. fasciculata, F. Muell., of the Australian Alps. Habit of an alpine Coprosma."

This is unknown to me, not having been collected since its discovery more than fifty years ago. I have consequently reproduced the description given by Hooker in the Handbook. Mr. N. E. Brown, who at my request has examined the type specimen in the Kew Herbarium, says, "This appears to be a true Logania, but the specimen has male flowers only, which have a regular 5-lobed corolla bearded at the throat and 5 stamens alternating with the corolla-lobes, affixed near the base of the corolla-tube; filaments filiform; anthers slightly exserted."