Petrie. — On New Native Plaids. 441 



sleiidei- cottony pedicels and linear bracts (heads occasionally 

 solitary or in pairs). 



Outer involucral scales half the length of the innermost, 

 oblong, tonientose, pale yellowish-brown ; the two or three 

 inner series with white radiating tips, contracted into a 

 narrow claw, and hardly longer than the florets. 



Hub. Dunedin, at Vauxhall and Black Jack's Point. This 

 plant has been repeatedly gathered by Mr. A. C. Purdie, in 

 compliment to whom it is named. It seems to be confined to 

 littoral sloping situations, and has been almost exterminated 

 in its known habitats by the formation of roads and the spread 

 of rank introduced grasses. The small heads and short radiat- 

 ing involucral scales distinguish it from H. prostratum (Hook, 

 f.) and H. h'rlcnsc (A. Cunn.). 



5. GiiaphaHiiiii paludosKin., nov. sp. 



Leaves iin. long or less ; the blade narrow - lanceolate, 

 acute, gradually contracted below into a narrow petiole as 

 long as the blade, one-nerved, glabrous and bright green 

 above, below white with appressed tomentum except the 

 green midrib, recurved. 



Stems scapiform, few, when flowering no longer than the 

 leaves, but afterwards elongating to three to live times that 

 length, very slender, white with loose tomentum ; bracts few, 

 short, narrow-linear. 



Involucral scales in two series, the outer shorter, glabrous, 

 narrow-linear, membranous, very pale green with darker 

 patches at the tips. 



Pappus hairs coherent at the base, few, fine. 



Achene shortly oblong, pilose with very short stiff hairs. 

 Eeceptacle deeply pitted. 



Hab. Eangipo Plain, North Island, 3,500ft. ; Euahine 

 Mountains, 4,000ft. ; Dunstan Mountains (Otago), 3,500ft. ; 

 Kyeburn Crossing (Maniototo Plain), 1,100ft.; Hector Moun- 

 tains, 3,000ft. 



This has been hitherto reckoned a form of GnaphaUiiDi 

 traversU (Hook. f.). It differs from this in the very slender 

 scape, the small head, the few involucral scales that are 

 darkei- at the tips, and the glabrous green upper surface of the 

 leaves. Its characters are very constant in all my speci- 

 mens. The plant is so small as to be easily overlooked. 



6. A(jrostls dijerl, nov. sp. 



Culms tufted, erect, rigid, smooth, 6in.-10in. high, the 

 uppermost sheath reaching to the base of the panicle. 



Leaves flat, iin. broad or less, the cauhne with large 

 green striate sheaths ; ligule broadly-oblong, lacerate, variable 

 in length. 



