Petrie. — Descriptions of New Native Flowering-plants. 207 



Art. XXII. -Descriptions of New Native Flowering-plants. 

 By D. Petrie, M.A., Ph.D. 



[Head before the Auckland Institute, 11th December, 1917 ; received by Editors, 24th Decem- 

 ber, 1917 ; issued separately, 10th June, 19 IS.] 



1. Myosotis cinerascens sp. no v. 



M. perennis, follis culmisque pilis albis subrigidis appressis cinerascentibus. 

 Culmi a radice complines graciles simplices vel parce divisi, 10-20 cm. alti, 

 paene ad racemorum basim foliosi. Folia radicalia anguste obovato-spathu- 

 lata ± 4 cm. longa circa 8 mm. lata obtusa, petiolis laminas aequantibus ; 

 caulina approximata consimilia + 1*5 cm. longa lineari - obovata sessilia 

 acuta. Racemi plerumque + divisi breves subcapitati, raro simplices ac 

 elongati. Flores albi breviter pedicellati ; calyx + 4-5 mm. longus, pilis 

 rigidis patentibus subuncinatis dense hispidus, lobis brevibu acutis ; corolla 

 calyce subduplo longior anguste infundibuliformis, tubo lobis rotundatis 

 brevibus ter quaterve longiore ; stamina lineari-oblonga filamentis gracillimis 

 duplo longiora, ad squamarum apices pertinentia ; stylus maturus calycem 

 ter quaterve superans. Nuculi oblongi, ter longiores quam lati, tenues 

 brunnei. 



Perennial, ashy-grey in all its parts. Culms from the root few or several, 

 erect or ascending at the base, simple or sparingly branched, 10-20 cm. 

 (4-8 in.) high, slender, leafy to near the base of the inflorescence. Radical 

 leaves narrow obovate-spathulate, + 4 cm. (If in.) long, 8 mm. (|in.) broad, 

 gradually narrowed into petioles about as long as the blades, obtuse rather 

 membranous, densely hispid on both surfaces with rather long stiff appressed 

 whitish hairs ; midrib little conspicuous ; cauline all much alike, closely 

 placed and usually overlapping, linear-obovate acute sessile, about 1*5 cm. 

 (§ in.) long. Racemes usually closely branched, short subcapitate, more 

 rarely simple and more or less elongated. Flowers white on strongly 

 hispid pedicels ; calyx + 4-5 mm. (| in.) long, equalling or exceeding the 

 pedicels, densely hispid with stiff spreading more or less hooked hairs, cut 

 for about one-third its length into narrow acute lobes ; corolla narrow 

 funnel-shaped, nearly twice as long as the calyx, cut into broadly rounded 

 lobes one-fourth as long as the tube ; stamens linear-oblong, twice as long 

 as the very slender filaments, reaching quite to the top of the scales ; style 

 slender, longer than the corolla, and ultimately about thrice as long as the 

 calyx. Nutlets oblong, thrice as long as broad, thin, dark brown, shining. 



Hab. — Limestone shingle-slip, Trelissick Basin, North Canterbury; 

 730 m. alt. : L. Cockayne ! Broken River, on limestone debris, Canter- 

 bury Alps; 2 400ft.: D. P. 



This species is allied to Myosotis Traversii Hook, f . as Cheeseman under- 

 stands that species, but by no means closely. It was almost certainly 

 included in M. Traversii by Hooker f., and is no doubt the plant from the 

 " Waimakeriri Valley " mentioned on page 195 of the Handbook of the New 

 Zealand Flora. The specimen examined do not show the radical leaves 

 in good condition, while the corollas are more or less withered and shrivelled. 



