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Volume 46, 1913
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Naturalized Plants.

Ranunculus flammula Linn.

Vicinity of Kaitaia; H. B. Matthews! Has been previously recorded only from the Waiharakeke Stream, Piako. (See Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 39, 1907, p. 450.)

Reseda lutea Linn.

Slopes of Mount Eden, Auckland; F. Neve!

Polygala virgata Thunb.

Among fern and low tea-tree scrub at Mangatete, near Awanui; H. Carse! Edge of forest near Kaitaia; Mrs. Foley! In several places near Kihikihi, Waikato; N. M. Lethbridge! A common South African plant, now recorded for the first time from New Zealand. It is probably a garden escape, although I cannot learn that the species has been in cultivation in any of the localities quoted above.

Claytonia perfoliata Doun.

Karori, Wellington; J. S. Tennant! This is the first record for the North Island. Originally introduced into Europe from North America about the beginning of the nineteenth century, it has now become naturalized in many countries.

Tribulus terrestris Linn.

I am indebted to Mr. F. Hutchinson for a specimen of this, collected in pure shingle at Port Ahuriri, Hawke's Bay. So far as I am aware, it has

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not been previously observed in New Zealand. It is a native of sandy shores in the south of Europe and north of Africa, but is now a common weed in many countries.

Psoralea pinnata Linn.

I am informed by Mr. H. Oakley that this has gone wild at Waipu, and threatens to become a serious nuisance. It is commonly cultivated in gardens, but I have not previously heard of its spreading spontaneously.

Lactuca scariola Linn.

Onehunga Railway-station yard; J. P. Kalaugher! Not previously recorded from New Zealand.

Jasione montana Linn.

Tutira Run, near the source of the Mohaka River, Hawke's Bay; H. Guthrie-Smith! This is the first recorded instance of this plant in New Zealand.

Echium plantagineum Linn.

Has been abundant on one farm at Kihikihi, Waikato, for more than forty years; J. B. Hayes! Has recently appeared in considerable quantity on the slopes of Mount Victoria, Devonport; J. P. Kalaugher I observed it in the vicinity of Auckland more than twenty years ago, but it seems to have died out in the original localities.

Hyoscyamus niger Linn.

Near Pakuranga, Auckland; R. Green! The only locality previously published for New Zealand is that of Wellington, by Mr. T. Kirk.

Verbena bonariensis Linn.

Near Kaitaia; H. Carse! Slopes of Mount Eden; F. Neve!

Euphorbia segetalis Linn.

On sand-dunes at Tauroa, near Ahipara; R. H. Matthews and H. Carse! Now recorded for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a native of southern Europe and north Africa, extending as far south as Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Euphorbia cyparissias Linn.

I am indebted to Mr. J. W. Murphy, of Christchurch, for specimens of this collected near Culverden, North Canterbury. As in the case of E. segetalis, it has not been previously recorded from the Southern Hemisphere.

Alnus glutinosa Linn.

Old trees of the alder have spontaneously appeared in not a few stations along the banks of the lower Waikato, from Huntly to within a few miles of the mouth of the river. Probably they have originated from seeds floated from Taupiri, where, I understand, it was planted by the missionaries prior to 1860. The willows which now form a continuous fringe along the banks of the river have doubtless originated from the same source.

Eichhornia crassipes Schlecht.

The well-known “water-hyacinth” has established itself in a lagoon at Te Aroha, according to information supplied to me by Mr. F. Neve. At

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present it is in small quantity; but it should be kept under observation and not allowed to spread. It is well known that its introduction into Florida resulted in the blocking of steamer navigation in several slowrunning rivers.

Hydrocleis nymphaeoides Buchen.

I am indebted to Mr. Neve for numerous specimens of this handsome water-plant, which he informs me is now plentiful in several lagoons or backwaters near the Thames River, at Te Aroha, and is apparently rapidly increasing. According to inquiries kindly made for me by Mr. Neve, it was planted nearly twenty years ago by a Mr. Wood in a lagoon on his property about a mile and a half from Te Aroha. In this locality it now covers an area of more than an acre in extent, and has become a considerable nuisance, blocking up drains and water-channels. The beauty of the flowers has induced several settlers to transfer it to other localities near Te Aroha. In all of these it is rapidly increasing, and there is every probability of its spread in suitable places in the Thames Valley. It is a common plant in South America, ranging from Venezuela to Buenos Ayres, and is now widely cultivated in gardens.

Polypogon fugax Nees.

This has spread very rapidly in the Auckland Provincial District, and is now common in most districts in brackish-water swamps.

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