f^ 



472 Transactions. — Botany. 



Genus 11. Cassinia, Br. 



1. C. spatJiulata, sp. nov. 



An erect spreading sluaib 7ft. -9ft. In'gli, of irregular diffuse 

 growth, often 3-branched from base ; bark of trunk and 

 branches roughish, grey, with longitudinal fissures and cracks. 

 Branchlets (and leaves below) covered with closely-adpressed 

 pale-yellow tomentuni, slightly glutinous when fresh ; the 

 branchlets numerous, long, sub-erect and patent, very slender, 

 leafy, scarred. Leaves many, rather close but not crowded, 

 regular, sub-decussate, spreading, linear-spathulate, 1-2 lines 

 long, i line wide at top, tapering, thickish, green glabrous and 

 shining above ; margins thickened, slightly recurved ; petiole 

 very slender, decurrent. Heads numerous in terminal sub- 

 hemispherical corymbs, 10-30 (usually about 20 together), 

 narrow, tubular, 2 lines long, light-brown. Involucral scales 

 several, closely appressed, slightly woolly, their margins finely 

 ciliate, when young pale yellowish-green. Peduncles (and 

 pedicels) pubescent, 1-4 lines long, with several small acumi- 

 nate and opposite bracts, bearing 2-5 pedicellate heads ; 

 pedicels slender, 1-3 lines long, each with a small acute bract 

 at base. Florets usually 9-10. Scales between florets linear 

 with sharply-serrated and jagged margins, their tips produced 

 dilated and rounded, pure-white, showy, sub-recurved, slightly 

 laciniate. Pappus white, spreading, as long as florets, serrate 

 with broad thickened tips. Achene linear, glabrous. 



Hab. Dry hills near the sea, Napier, Hawke's Bay ; 

 1860-89 : W. C. 



Obs. I have long known this shrub, which grows naturally 

 here in the borders of my paddock on the hill ; but until this 

 year I had always supposed it to be one of the described New- 

 Zealand species of Cassinia — probably G. leptophylla. This 

 summer, however (in February), I was attracted to it by its 

 charming and showy appearance, so many hundreds of heads 

 of pure-white flowers, formed by their large recurved scales ; 

 and on examination I found it to be a very distinct species. 

 Its spathulate leaves yellowish below and sub-glutinous, larger 

 heads of flowers, their coloured and woolly involucres, and 

 their pi'ominent white-tipped and largely-recurved floral scales, 

 with the tops of the pappus flattened and coarsely serrate, 

 form good differential characters. 



Genus 14. Gnaphalium, Linn. 



1. (?) G. minutula, sp. nov. 



A minute plant of distinct simple growth ; rootstock 

 thickish for plant, vertical ; rootlets long, wiry. Leaves 6-10, 

 basal, linear, spreading, iin.-fin. long, ■g'tjin. wide, tips obtuse, 

 dark-green, glabrous above and on midrib below, white and 



