Cheeseman. — On Neto Plants. 411 



rudiment of an ovary present. Females : Perianth tubular, 

 compressed, dilated below, contracted at the 2-toothed mouth ; 

 ovary included, 1-celled, 1-ovulate ; stigma exserted, long, 

 filiform, hirsute. Eipe fruit not seen. 



Hab. Sunday Island, Kermadec Group : not uncommon m 

 the lower portion of the island. 



This is the plant which I referred to the Norfolk Island 

 B. aitstralis in my catalogue of the plants of the Kermadec 

 Group (Trans. N.Z. Inst., xx., 173). Since then Mr. W. B. 

 Hemsley, of the Eoyal Gardens, Kew, has done me the favour 

 of comparing it with authentic specimens of B. australis, and 

 informs me that it is certainly distinct, differing in having 

 comparatively shortly petiolate, 3 - nerved, and otherwise 

 strongly-nerved leaves, rugulose above. To this I may add 

 that the leaves are much broader than in B. australis, and not 

 cordate at the base. Mr. Hemsley also remarks that it is 

 intermediate in characters between B. australis and the Lord 

 Howe's Island B. calopkylla. 



A seedling obtained from the Kermadec Islands in 1888 

 has stood the climate of Auckland well, and is making rapid 

 growth. Its handsome foliage and compact habit should 

 entitle the species to a place in our gardens. 



Caleana minor, E. Br. (Bentham, " Flora Austrahensis," vi., 



366). 



I am indebted to the Eev. F. H. Spencer for numerous 

 fresh specimens of this singular httle plant, collected by him 

 in the vicinity of Eotorua township. The discovery is an in- 

 teresting one, both on account of its adding a new genus to 

 our flora, and from its affording another proof of the close 

 connection between the Orchidea?. of New Zealand and Aus- 

 tralia. Mr. Spencer's specimens exactly match the plate of 

 the species given in Fitzgerald's " Australian Orchids," and 

 there can be no doubt of the identity of the New Zealand with 

 the Australian plant. Probably it is not uncommon in the 

 Eotorua and Taupo districts, and has been overlooked until 

 now from its small size and inconspicuous character, and 

 from the short duration of its flowering-period. The follovy- 

 ing description has been drawai up from Mr. Spencer's 

 specimens : — 



Very delicate and glabrous, 6in.-8in. high, usually shghtly 

 tinged with red. Leaf solitary, radical, very narrow-linear, 

 ratTier fleshy, channelled. Flowers 1-3, greenish tinged with 

 red, small, barely ^in. long (including the ovary) ; pedicels 

 lin., with minute subtending bracts. Sepals narro\y-linear, 

 slightly dilated above the middle, nearly equal in size ; the 

 dorsalone attached just above the top of the ovary, the lateral 

 affixed to the basal projection of the column. Petals rather 



