274 Transactions. — Botany. 



very shallow (less than 1 line deep) ; the sepals and two in- 

 ferior petals rounded, undulate, crumpled and incurved along 

 the thickened margin ; tips and inner surface of the perianth- 

 lobes dirty- white. 



Labellum, included, oblong, dull-yellow, sometimes slightly 

 expanded at the base, with two subpapillose narrow more or 

 less confluent medial ridges, incurved and thickened at the 

 undulating and crumpled margin ; the upper third free, the 

 lower half adnate to the tube and with or without obscure 

 ridge-like wings at the sides. 



Column short, with straight very short lateral appendages 

 that are either acute or obtuse. 



Hab. Town Belt, Dunedin, in shady manuka bush. 

 Flowers first weeks of January. 



The present species differs from G. cunninghamii, H. f., in its 

 small size, short racemes, smaller flowers, and umber-brown 

 colour, but most of all in the structure and attachment of the 

 labellum. Mr. A. Hamilton has kindly drawn for me the 

 flowers of both species, and his drawings show the points of 

 difference plainly enough. In G. cunninghamii (Plate XX., 

 figs. 1-4) the free part of the labellum is trowel-shaped and 

 much thinner at the sides than in my plant, and it has a 

 distinct claw which is wanting in G. minor. The curiously- 

 twisted wing of the lower part of the labellum of the former 

 is wholly absent in the present species, in which, moreover, 

 all the divisions of the flower except the labellum are of 

 equal length. The lateral appendages of the column in G. 

 cunninghamii are slender, curved, and horn-like ; in G. minor 

 they are short, erect, and straight. I had the good fortune 

 to find both plants in flower in the neighbourhood of Dunedin 

 at the same time, so that a very complete comparison of the 

 two species w r as practicable. The flowers of the present 

 species open but very slightly, and the groove behind the 

 labellum cannot be seen without pushing apart the sepals 

 which the latter separates. 



Gunnera ovata, sp. nov. 



Ehizome creeping, tufted. 



Leaves broadly-ovate, obtusely rounded at the tip and 

 cordate or subcorclate at the base, finely crenately toothed all 

 round the margin, nearly glabrous or with short scattered 

 pale hairs, about lin. long and fin. broad. Petiole slender, 

 glabrous or more or less clothed with short pale hairs, twice 

 as long as the blade. 



Flowers on peduncles about Un. long, lengthening in fruit 

 to l^in. Male flowers in a slender interrupted spike 2in. to 

 3in. long ; female flowers forming a dense oblong spike about 

 ^in. long. Fruiting spike fin. long, rather slender; drupes 



