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
