Peteie. — On Ncio Native Plants. 269 



Aet. XXXII. — Description of a Neiu Genus and of Neiu 

 Species of Native Plants, &c. 



By D. Peteie, M.A., F.L.S. 



[Read before the Otacjo Institute, 12th July, 1892.'] 



Plate XX. 



Natural Order BOBAGINE^L 



Tetrachondra,* genus novum. 



Floees parvi, tetrameri. Calyx persistens alte 4-fidus, seg- 

 ments ovatis obtusis ; fructifer immutatus. Corolla subrotata 

 calycem paullo superans, limbi segmentis ovatis, fauce esqua- 

 mata, aestivatione hnbricata. Stamina 4, sinubus corollae in- 

 serta ; filamentis brevibus antherse subaequilongis ; anthers 

 parvae rotundatae dorsifixae, biloculares, inappendiculatae. 

 Ovarium 4-partitum ; stylus inter lobos erectus ovario 2-plo 

 lon°ior ; stigma parvum. Nucules saepius 4 erectae areola parva 

 basilar! affixae, dorso et apice rotundatae, setulosae, inferne 

 triangulares, calycem persistentem stylumque subduplo super- 

 antes. Scmina erecta, albuminosa ; embryo teres albumini 

 subasquilongus, cotyledonibus radicular aequilongis. Herba 

 depressa, repens, glabra v. subglabra. Folia omnia opposita, 

 parva, ^-^poll. longa,elliptica, obtusa v.obtusiuscula,intcgra, 

 carnosula, obscure punctata ; petioli latiusculi, plani, interdum 

 parce setuloso-ciliolati,connati. Flores ramulos breves axillares 

 foliiferos terminantes, scepius solitarii. 



Tetrachondra hamiltonii, sp. un. Plate XX., figs. 8-11. 



A slender, perennial, matted and creeping herb. Leaves 

 gland-dotted, small, elliptic, obtuse, entire, glabrous, subsessile, 

 in opposite pairs ; petioles connate and shortly sheathing 

 the stem. 



Flowers axillary, minute, subsessile, solitary, the slender 

 peduncle elongated and decurved in fruit. Other characters as 

 in genus. 



Hob. Wet clay hollovrs in fields at Waipahi ; and wet 

 grounds at Hindon and Sutton Creek (Strath Taieri). This 

 remarkable plant clearly belongs to the order Boraginea ; but 

 its position in the order must for the present remain uncertain. 

 Mr. N. E. Brown, A.L.S., and Professor Oliver, of Kew, think 



* Through the courtesy of the Secretary to the Institute I have heen 

 able to include the generic character, as published by Professor Oliver in 

 the " Icones Plantarum." An excellent plate (No. 2250, Fourth Series, 

 vol. iii.) accompanies the character. 



