484 Transactions. — Botany. 



acuminate. Flowers in small terminal heads, 6-9, half hidden 

 among the leaves, peduncled ; peduncles short, sub 1 line long, 

 curved, densely hairy or sub-silky, whitish, shining. Perianth 

 ^in. long, brownish-red with grey hairs, very hairy about limb, 

 hairs extending far beyond tips of lobes, scattered below ; limb 

 sub-erect not spreading ; lobes narrow oblong, sub-acute, 1-^ 

 lines long, margins incurved, veins simple not reticulated ; 

 tube cylindrical, very slender throughout ; throat narrow. 

 Anthers scarcely half-exserted, very small, elliptic, about 

 ^ line long ; style exserted as long as perianth ; stigma small, 

 capitate, papillose. Nut ovoid, larger than in the preceding 

 species, enclosed in membranous base of perianth. 



Hah. Edges of thickets, base of Mount Euapehu, County 

 of East Taupo ; 1889 : Mr. H. Hill. 



Ohs. A species very closely allied to the preceding (P. lan- 

 ceolata), so that it might easily be taken for it at first sight, 

 and yet differing from it in many particulars. The principal 

 differences are to be found in its shorter yet broader dull- 

 green leaves, with thickened wdiite margins ; its much smaller 

 and slenderer perianths, which are of a different colour, with 

 their lobes narrower, acute, incurved, and not largely veined ; 

 and its very small half-included and differently-shaped an- 

 thers. 



3. P. micropliylla, sp. nov. 



Plant small, shrubby, sub-prostrate, and compact; branches 

 3in.-4in. long, bark greyish-black, regularly scarred (also 

 branchlets) from cicatrices of fallen old leaves ; branchlets 

 numerous, short, with greyish hairs between leaves. Leaves 

 only at tips of branchlets for about iin., quadrifariously dis- 

 posed, regular, closely imbricate and appressed, elliptic, j^in. 

 long (sometimes smaller), margined, obtuse, concave, sessile, 

 thickish, veins not visible, glabrous, yellowish-green ; the floral 

 leaves scarcely larger, but with a few fine ciliolate white hairs 

 at tips. Flowers few, sub-terminal, solitary and 2 near each 

 other, small, 1^ lines, long, slightly hairy on the outside, 

 brownish-red (when dried) ; tube as long as lobes ; lobes ob- 

 long, veined ; tips very obtuse. Anthers exserted ; style as 

 long as lobes. 



Hah. Sides of Mount Ton'gariro, County of East Taupo 

 1889 : Mr. H. Hill. 



Obs. A very peculiar and pretty little species, apparently 

 allied (tliough not closely) to P. gniclia and to P. buxifolia ; 

 differing from them both in its very small and closely-imbri- 

 cated quadrifarious leaves, its solitary red flowers, and the 

 rounded tips of its perianth-lobes. I have received several 

 small specimens, which are all alike as to leaves, &c., but con- 

 taining very few flowers. 



