394 Transactions. — Botany. 



almost filiform, densely hairy especially at top ; hairs short, 

 white, strigose pointing upwards. Spike small, broadly-oblong, 

 3-4 lines long, subcylindrical, 7-12-flowered ; flowers sessile, 

 close. Bracts broadly ovate, subapiculate, glabrous, purple 

 (brown in age), with broad black thick keel. Calyx sepals 

 similar but smaller, extending beyond circumciss of capsule. 

 Corolla small, very membranous, narrow-triangular-ovate, 

 white, erect, sometimes adpressed to capsule. Anthers slightly 

 exserted, cordate-orbicular, strongly apiculate, red-brown. 

 Style largely exserted, flexuous, shaggy. Capsule large, ovoid, 

 shining, beak stout. Seeds 5, oblong, obtuse, white, shining, 

 minutely and closely pitted. 



Hab. Among grasses and other small herbage on banks of 

 a small stream, open plain, Tahoraiti, south of Dannevirke, 

 County of Waipawa, where it forms pretty large patches ; 

 1890-91 : W. C. 



Obs. A species having near affinity with P. i:iicta, mihi 

 (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxii., p. 481), but differing in several 

 characters. 



Art. XXXVI. — Description of Three Species of Nezuly- dis- 

 covered Neio Zealand Ferns. 



By W. CoLENSO, F.E.S., F.L.S., &c. 



[Read before the Hawlce's Bay Philosophical Institute, 12th October, 1S91.'] 



Hemitelia, Br. 

 1. H. (Amphicosmia) falciloba, sp. nov. 



Caudex erect, stoutish, woody, 6ft. high. Fronds spread- 

 ing, bipinnate, submembranous, brownish-green above, pale 

 (sometimes nearly white) below with minute shining specks 

 widely dispersed, glabrous, with a few scattered weak hairs on 

 ccsta and veins, and mostly on upper surface ; basal scales, 

 subulate, 2in. long, yV^^- wide at base with a small circular 

 hole, very acuminate, tips filiform acute, margins plain, dark- 

 brown finely and much striate, ci'inkled, very glossy. Ehachis 

 unarmed, rather narrow, deeply sulcate on upper side, filiform 

 at tip (and also subrhachises), densely clothed with weak 

 reddish woolly down, intermixed with scattered long flat 

 narrow crumpled red scales, ^in.-fin. long, nearly 1 line wide 

 at base (some narrow throughout), very acuminate, tips seti- 

 gerous black, centre thickish dark-brown, sides semi-pellucid, 

 margins distantly and roughly setigerous-serrate, teeth black. 

 Pinnae remote 3in. (or more) apart, subopposite (alternate 

 towards apex), subpetiolate, 15in. long, 6iu. broad, oblong, 



