CoLENSO. — Description of veto Crjiptogaviic Plants. 43 



1888) there appeared a large, closely-l'racteated, purple head, 

 rising from among the thickly-overgrown Hydrocotyle, and in 

 a few days two more, strongly resembling the purple heads of 

 asparagus in colour and form, only these were densely pilose. 

 These heads grew very fast, and were soon found to be a species 

 •of Orohanchc. They were all very much alike, merely differ- 

 ing in height, and, consequently, in the number of their 

 flowers : one attained the height of ISin., with forty 

 flowers; another loin., with thirty-three flowers; and the 

 third, 12in., with twenty flowers. And subsequently (about 

 five to six weeks later) a fourth and similar one made 

 its appearance. This plant differs considerably from all our 

 British species (of which I have botanical drawings) , and from 

 the Australian "introduced" one described by Bentham 

 (which is also European), and from several others whose de- 

 scriptions I possess ; still, there are more described, of which, 

 how^ever, I am ignorant, therefore this plant may yet come 

 under one of these. I have no recollection of ever having 

 seen the whole plant before ; but, at the same time, I have a 

 strong suspicion that I have noticed something arising from 

 the thick beds of our largely-creeping pilose Hydrocotyle very 

 much like what the heads of this plant were in their early 

 incipient state.* It is, however, new to science to find this 

 parasite growing on Hydrocotyle ; also, under cultivation ; and 

 then to have three (now four) together is equally rare. The 

 foster plant, though exceedingly slender and delicate, is appa- 

 rently as healthy and flourishing as ever. 



Akt. IV. — A Description of some ncivhj-discovered Crypto- 

 (jamic Plants ; being a further Contribution, toicards the 

 making Jcnoton the Botany of New Zealand. 



By W. CoLENSo, F.E.S., F.L.S., kc. 



'Read before the Ilaiche's Bay Philosophical Institute. l:Hh November, 



ISSS.] 



OllDER IV.— MUSCI. 

 Genus 67.1 H3rpopterygmm, Bridel. 

 a. Leaves not mixed with bristles. 

 1. H. vulcanicum, sp. nov. 



Eoot thickish, sub-rigid, 3-pinnately branched, much im- 



* See, for instance, a notice of an abnormal vegetable form observed 

 (not wholly dissimilar) mider H.concinna (" Trans. N.Z. Inst.," vol. xvii., 

 p. 239j. This Orobanche in its earliest stage might easily have been con- 

 founded with such in the gloom of the forests. 



t The numbers here attached to orders and to genera are jhose of 

 the " Handbook of the New Zealand Flora." 



