Var. Haastii.—Upper half of leaf narrower, semiterete, not thickened at the tip.—P. Haastii, Berggr. in Journ. Bot. ix. n.s. (1880) 104. P. Colensoi, Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallnk. Lund. (1877) t. 3, f. 1 to 27.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From Hikurangi, Tongariro, and Mount Egmont southwards, an abundant alpine plant. 3000–6000 ft. December–February.
This appears to pass imperceptibly into P. clavigera, and should be regarded as a variety of that species.
3. P. rubra, Cheesem.—Stems shorter than in P. clavigera, ½–1 in. high, densely tufted, frequently bare of leaves below. Leaves erect, very densely imbricated, linear, not dilated at the base or very obscurely so, very thick and coriaceous; tips much thickened, forming a large globose knob. Flowers ⅙–⅕ in. diam., white, but becoming dark-red when dry. Corolla-lobes 5–7, unequal. Column stout, included or slightly exserted.—Helophyllum rubrum, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 168; Buch. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 351, t. 31, f. 2.
South Island: Otago—Mount Aspiring Range, Buchanan and McKay! Mount Arnould and the Hector Mountains, Petrie! 4500–6000 ft. January–March.
This is evidently close to P. clavigera, but the large globose knobs at the tips of the leaves give it a distinct appearance.
2. OREOSTYLIDIUM, Berggr.
A small stemless perennial herb. Leaves numerous, all radical. Scape short, 1-flowered. Calyx more or less evidently 2-lipped; lower lip 2-tid, upper lip 3-tid. Corolla almost regular, campanulate, deeply 5-lobed; the lobes equal in size, irregularly spreading. Column short, straight, erect, much shorter than the corolla-lobes; anthers didymous, 4-celled and 4-lobed; lobes ultimately spreading; stigma placed between the anthers, 2-lobed, lobes spreading and deflexed. Ovary 2-celled or 1-celled by imperfection of the dissepiment; ovules numerous, attached to the centre of the dissepiment. Capsule coriaceous, indehiscent or tardily rupturing, more or less completely 2-celled. Seeds numerous, obovoid; testa lax, cellular.
A monotypic genus confined to New Zealand. It differs from Stylidium in the corolla-lobes being equal in size, in the short erect column, and in the indehiscent fruit.
1. O. subulatum, Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) n. viii. 1, t. 1.—Small, densely tufted. Rootstock short, often emitting stolons; roots long, fibrous. Leaves spreading and recurved, ½–1½ in. long, linear-subulate, mucronate or almost pungent, rigid when dry, concave above, slightly convex beneath, quite glabrous; margins entire. Scape much shorter than the
