492 Transactions. — Botany. 



Hah. Dry open grounds, Mount Tongariro ; 1889 : Mr. H. 

 Hill. Also, on high stony plains south of Dannevirke, County 

 of Waipawa, hidden among low herbage ; 1888 : W. G. 



Obs. I. A very small plant of densely-matted intricate 

 flat growth, with only the upper portions of its tiny tufts and 

 fruits appearing above soil. It seems pretty closely allied to 

 the few (3) known and scattered species of this genus, though 

 differing from them all : one (G. setacea) found at Port Pre- 

 servation, South Island, by Lyall ; one (G. ciliata) in Lord 

 Auckland's Islands, by Hooker ; and one (G. aitstralis) in the 

 Falklands, by Gaudichaud — this last-named species is also in 

 Fuegia. 



II. I have obtained several specimens from the matted 

 lump of turf or sod containing them, cut out of the soil by Mr. 

 Hill ; but all the fruits were old or imperfect save two, which 

 had retained their stigmata but no anthers. 



Order XI. Cyperace-E. 

 Genus 12. Oreobolus, Br. 



1. 0. scrrulata, sp. nov. 



Plant very small, densely ctespitose in close tufts, liin. 

 high, erect, much and closely branched. Leaves subulate, lin. 

 long, erect, canaliculate, striate, sub-equitant, tips obtuse, 

 margins throughout minutely and closely serrulate ; pale-gi'een 

 when young, reddish in age ; vagina very large, 2 lines wide, 

 membranous, white, shining, its tips rounded produced and 

 finely serrulate, 2-nerved on each, side, nerves conspicuous, 

 red ; ligula 0. Calm shorter than leaves, cylindrical, smooth, 

 wiry. Glumes 3, the outer and uppermost largest, its apical 

 margin finely serrulate ; the 2 floral ones margins entire, their 

 tips obtuse slightly lacerate. Stamens 2 (in two flowers 

 examined), long, flexuous, longer than style. Style long, fili- 

 form, straight, black, smooth ; stigmatic branches 3, very long 

 .and flexuous, scabrid throughout, brown, not starting from 

 one point. Scales 6, narrow triangular, acuminate, erect, 

 persistent, white, their margins closely and finely serrulate. 

 Nut small, under 1 line diameter, broadly pear-shaped, white. 



Hah. Swampy ground at Rangipo, near the eastern base of 

 Mount Tongariro, Comity of East Taupo ; 1889 : Mr. H. Hill. 



Obs. This is an interesting little plant, making the third 

 species of this small and curious genus found in New Zealand, 

 which genus only now contains 4 species. It is also the 

 smallest of them all, and is very distinct as a species in its finely- 

 serrulate margins. One species (and the original type of the 

 genus), 0. pumilio, Br., was first detected by its describer in 

 Tasmania ; this species was also found by Sir- J. D. Hooker in 

 the Antarctic Islets, who at first described it as a sp. nov., 



