Petrie. — Descriptions of New Native Flowering-plants. 17 



Art. Ill — Descriptions of New Native Flotvering-plants. 



By D. Petrie, M.A., Pli.D., F.N.Z.Inst. 



[Read before the AncHand Institute, 22nd Decemher, 1919 ; received by Editor, 31st 

 December, 1919 ; issued separately, 4th June, 1920.] 



Pittosporum Matthewsii sp. nov. 



Planta P. virgatae T. Kirk affinis ; differt foliis confertis, maturis lineari- 

 oblongis subacutis glabris a marginibus undulatis ; capsulis longioribus 

 subacute obovatis, ± 1-8 cm. longis, circa 1cm. latis, valvis duabus nee 

 canaliculatis nee latere depressis atris undique lacunosis. 



A small compactly branched tree, 20-25 ft. high, with black bark. 



Juvenile state : Branches and twigs slender, the latter closely covered 

 with greyish-white pubescence ; leaves rather closely placed, patent, narrow- 

 linear, + 2 cm. long, i 2 mm. wide, subacute entire or slightly waved 

 at the margins, glabrous or nearly so, little coriaceous, somewhat recurved 

 at the edges when dried, midrib evident below, rather obscure above, the 

 upper surface dark green and polished, paler below ; very young leaves 

 brownish-green and more or less closely clothed with white semipubescent 

 hairs ; petioles very short *and slender. 



Mature state : Twigs more or less closely scarred by the bases of the 

 fallen leaves ; leaves rather closely placed, linear-oblong or narrow obovate- 

 oblong, + 4 cm. long, 5-8 mm. wide, subacute, glabrous except the sub- 

 floral which are closely covered with brownish-yellow tomentum, moderately 

 coriaceous, entire, flat or more or less wavy at the margins (rarely obscurely 

 sinuate-dentate near the tips), the lower surface paler with conspicuous 

 dark-red midrib and veins, above more or less polished with midrib obscure 

 and veins obsolete, edges slightly recurved when dried ; petioles very 

 short and slender. 



Flowers terminal, solitary or in compact umbels of 6 or fewer, rather 

 small, + 7 mm. long ; peduncles not longer than the flowers, densely 

 clothed, as are also the sepals, with brownish-yellow tomentum ; sepals 

 linear-lanceolate, acute ; petals dark red, narrow-cuneate, obtuse, sharply 

 recurved over the tips of the sepals ; pistil as long as the flower, pilosely 

 pubescent below the style. Mature capsules subacutely obovate or sub- 

 pyriform, + 1-8 cm. long, about 1cm. broad above the middle, obtuse 

 or broadly subacute, shortly apiculate, glabrous, 2-valved, the valves 

 nearly semicircular in cross-section and neither grooved nor ribbed, black- 

 pitted all over. 



Hah. — Kennedy Bay, Coromandel Peninsula : H. B. Matthews ! 



The close placing of the leaves, their linear-oblong outline, and the 

 distinctive size and shape of the mature capsule clearly distinguish this 

 species from P. virgatum. I have seen nothing to indicate any variation 

 in the form of the juvenile leaves, but as I have not seen the plants growing 

 I cannot be certain that such variation does not occur. 



Uncinia longifructus (Kiik.) Petrie sp. nov. 



U. laxe caespitosa v. + diffusa ; culmi 12-20 cm. longi filiformes teretes 

 stricti glabri leviter canaliculati. Folia peranguste linearia plana v. + 

 complicata tenuia flaccida longe vaginantia vix canaliculata, carina subtus 

 conspicua. Spiculae breves pauciflorae -t 1 cm. longae ± 5 mm. latae ; 



