North Island: East Coast, from Ahuriri to Cape Palliser, Colenso! South Island: Nelson— Tarndale, Travers. Marlborough, Buchanan. Canterbury—Lake Forsyth, Lake Lyndon, Kirk! Rangitata Valley, Sinclair and Haast; Mackenzie Plains and Lake Tekapo, T. F. C.; Lake Ohau, Haast. Otago—Common in the interior, Sector and Buchanan, Petrie! Altitudinal range from sea-level to 3000 ft. November–January.

Also widely diffused in Australia, but found elsewhere only in South Europe and Asia Minor, from whence it was originally described. Several botanists have suggested that it has been introduced both into Australia and New Zealand, but so far as the latter country is concerned no evidence has ever been obtained in support of such a view.

North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout in both lowland and mountain districts, ascending to over 4000 ft.

Mr. Corenso's herbarium contains numerous examples of his S. oligosperma and S. pellucida, but I can find no characters to distinguish them from the ordinary form of the species, even as varieties.

Var. angustata, Kirk, l.c.—Leaves narrower than in the type, linear-lanceolate, acute or acuminate.

Auckland and Campbell Islands: Woods near the sea, not uncommon, Hooker, Kirk! Chapman! Macquarie Island, A. Hamilton. Var. angustata: Antipodes Island, Kirk!

A larger plant than the preceding, with more fleshy stems and leaves, larger flowers, and larger and more coarsely tuberculate seeds. It much resembles the European S. media, but can always be distinguished by the less developed inflorescence and by the absence of the pubescent line on the branches.

South Island: Mount Stokes, 3000 ft., J. Macmahon! Westport, on the sea-beach, Dr. Gaze (a scrap only).

The specimens of this in Mr. Kirk's herbarium are few and imperfect, and I have consequently reproduced his description. He remarks that it is "distinguished from all forms of S. parviflora, S. decipiens, and 8. elatinoides by the broadly obtuse sepals, and from S. media by its solitary or geminate flowers and the absence of the hairy line on the stems and branches." It looks to me much like a reduced form of S. parviflora.

North Island: Hawke's Bay—Lake Rotoatara and Cape Kidnappers, Colenso. South Island: Otago — Duntroon, Sowburn, Tuapeka Mouth, Speargrass Flat, Petrie! November.

Easily recognised by the small size, narrow leaves, acuminate sepals, almost sessile flowers, and coarsely tubercled seeds. The above description is drawn up from Mr. Petrie's Otago specimens, the plant not having been seen in the North Island since Mr. Colenso's original discovery of it more than fifty years ago. It is very closely allied to the Tasmanian S. multiflora, if indeed not a form of that species.

South Island: Nelson—Dun Mountain, Rough! T. F. C.; Wairau Gorge, Travers; Mount Captain, Kirk! Clarence Valley and Lake Tennyson, T. F. C. Canterbury—Mount Torlesse, Haast, Petrie, T. F. C.; Broken River and Upper Waimakariri, Enys! Kirk! T. F. C. Altitudinal range 3000 to 6000 ft. December–February.

One of the most distinct species of the genus, remarkable for its fleshy glaucous habit, large green flowers, and the large papillæ on the seeds. It appears to be confined to bare shingle-slopes on the mountains.

South Island: Not uncommon in mountain districts, ascending to 5000 ft. Descends to sea-level at the mouth of the Waitaki River. November–February.

Easily recognised by the strict wiry habit, subulate leaves, and very long erect peduncles.

The Snares, Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, and Macquarie Islands: Common on rocks near the sea.

Forms rounded patches sometimes 18 in. across, although usually much smaller, the inner part composed of the decaying foliage and stems of old plants, the outside thickly covered with the compacted stems and branches, clothed with bright-green leaves.

South Island: Nelson—Dun Mountain Range, Mount Arthur, Raglan Mountains, T. F. C.; Wairau Mountains, Travers. Canterbury—Kowai River, Haast. Otago—Buchanan! Altitudinal range 1500 to 4500 ft. Also in South America, from Mexico to Cape Horn.

A well-marked species, at once recognised by the soft leaves, which never have acicular points, by the tetramerous flowers, and by the broad obtuse sepals.

Var. alpinus, Kirk, l.c.—Larger, forming tufts sometimes 4 in. diam. Leaves 1–2 in., with acicular tips. Peduncles 2–4 in. long in fruit. Sepals ovate, acuminate, rather longer than the capsule.

North Island: Mount Hikurangi, Adams and Petrie! Ruahine Mountains, Colenso; Tararua Range, Buchanan; Mount Egmont, T. F. C. South Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island, Macquarie Island: Abundant throughout. Altitudinal range from sea-level to 4500 ft. November–February. Also found in Victoria and Tasmania.

Separated from C. quitensis by the different habit, acicular tips to the leaves, pentamerous flowers, and pointed sepals. From C. Muelleri it can be distinguished by the grassy and often flaccid leaves and shorter sepals, which last are not acicular; but some forms are very difficult to place.

? var. strictus, Cheesem.—Larger, sometimes forming patches 2 in. diam. Leaves strict, erect, often more than 1 in. long. Peduncles equalling or exceeding the leaves. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, narrowed into long acicular points, nearly half as long again as the capsule.

? var. multicaulis, Kirk, Students' Fl. 61.—Rigid, much branched, branches naked below. Leaves rather lax, spreading, linear-subulate, ¼ in. long. Peduncles about as long as the leaves. Sepals narrow-ovate, acute or mucronate, equalling the capsule.

A puzzling plant. As characterized above, it is distinguished from C. Billardieri by the rigid habit, harsh often cartilaginous leaves, and especially by the rigid acicular sepals, which are much longer than the capsule. The two varieties, when better known, may prove distinct.

South Island: Marlborough—Mount Mowatt, Kirk! Canterbury—Mountains near Lake Tekapo, T. F. C. Otago—Kurow, Speargrass Flat, Cromwell, Queenstown, &c, Petrie! Ascends to nearly 6000 ft.

This appears to be a well-marked form, recognised without any difficulty by the short densely imbricated leaves with obtuse tips furnished with a fine hair-point.

South Island: "Awatere Valley, and rocky places, Sinclair Range, alt. 4000 ft., Sinclair and Haast; Otago—Lake District, Hector and Buchanan." Campbell Island: Hooker, Kirk! Also found in Victoria and antarctic America.

Like Mr. Kirk, I have not seen any South Island specimens that I can refer to this species, although small forms of C. acicularis have frequently been mistaken for it. C. Benthamianus appears to me to constantly differ from C. acicularis in the shorter and more strict leaves, with much shorter acicular points, and in the broader and shorter sepals, which can hardly be called acicular, and barely exceed the capsule. In C. acicularis the sepals are narrower, and have long acicular apices much exceeding the capsule.

South Island: Dry rocky places in the mountains, abundant throughout. Altitudinal range from 1500 ft. to 6000 ft.

Well characterized by the robust stems and branches, long leaves with remarkably long acicular points, almost sessile flowers, and long sepals, which much exceed the capsule.

South Island: Nelson—Mount Owen, on limestone rocks, alt. 4000 ft., T. F. C., W. Townson! Otago—Buchanan!

A well-marked plant, the chief characters of which are the short spreading chaffy leaves, either acute or very shortly acicular, the short stout lateral peduncles, and the broadly ovate sepals.

C. Buchanani, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 358, t. 27D.—Apparently a laxly tufted plant 2–3 in. high, with slender erect stems. Leaves not imbricating, loosely spreading, ¼–½ in. long, linear-subulate, sheathing at the base, membranous, concave above, convex below, gradually narrowed into short acicular points. Peduncles axillary, slender, usually rather longer than the leaves. Flowers ⅕–¼ in. long. Sepals 5, linear-subulate, acuminate, half as long again as the short capsule.—Students' Fl. 62.

South Island: Otago—Manuherikia Valley, Buchanan!

A most distinct plant, of which I have only seen three imperfect specimens. The slender stems, loosely spreading membranous leaves, and axillary peduncles give it a very different aspect from that of any other New Zealand species.

North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Common on the coast, from the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards. October–February. An abundant plant near the sea in many parts of the world.

The allied species S. rubra, Presl., which has more slender and flatter leaves, smaller flowers, and seeds not so conspicuously margined, is naturalised in several places in both the North and South Islands, but is usually found in inland localities.