508 Transactions. — Botany. 



Art. L. — Notice of the Occurrence of an Undescribed 

 Palm-lily on the Auckland Peninsula. 



By T. Kirk, F.L.S. 



[Read before the WcUinrjtoii Philosophical Society, 26th February, 



1896.] 



The special interest attached to the arborescent Liliacece of the 

 colony will, I doubt not, be a sufficient apology for drawing 

 attention to the existence in the extreme north of an unde- 

 scribed plant belonging to this group, although but little can 

 be said respecting ic beyond the fact of its occurrence. At 

 present it is not possible to determine whether it should be 

 referred to Cordylme or Dracczna, or possibly enough to some 

 other genus ; but it is only by publishing the facts as far 

 as known that attention can be drawn to the plant, and 

 specimens obtained for identification. 



About three years ago Mr. John Maxwell sent the upper 

 part of a leaf of what appeared to be a species of Cordylinc or 

 DraccBua, informing me that the plant from which it had been 

 taken was growing in the garden of Mr. Eeid, Ahipara, and 

 that it had been found in the forest near that settlement. On 

 applying to Mr. Reid, that gentleman most obligingly for- 

 warded a complete leaf, and stated that he had two plants 

 under cultivation, both of which were obtained from the bush 

 on the face of a cliff, about 200ft. above sea-level ; the flowers 

 and fruit were quite unknown. He promised to search for the 

 mass of tree-roots, which I am glad to say is still living under 

 plant, and inform me of the result. Subsequently I received a 

 living plant, which had evidently been dug from amongst a 

 cultivation, although it has made no growth at present. Re- 

 cently I learned that it was forwarded by a young lady, who 

 unfortunately did not favour me with any information as to 

 the conditions under which the plant was found. 



The blade of the leaf sent by ]\Ir. Reid is exactly 18in. 

 long by 5^in. broad at its widest part; it is almost elliptic- 

 oblong in shape, although the upper half is slightly broader 

 than the lower ; the apex is rather abruptly acute, and the 

 base is gradually narrowed into the petiole, which is fully ^in. 

 broad on the flattened upper surface, and convex beneath, 

 with a broad wing along each margin for its entire length of 

 4in. Tlie abruptness with which the petiole is narrowed into 

 the midrib is very remarkable ; the midrib is extremely 

 slender, and is continued to the point of the leaf, being 

 scarcely more than a mere line in the upper part ; the innu- 

 merable nerves being given off along its entire course. In 



