630 Transactions. — Botany. 



V. latisepala, n. s. 



Shrubby, 3ft. -5ft. high, erect, glabrous, branches stout, 

 thick, naked below in old plants. Leaves patent, sessile, sub- 

 coriaceous, 2in.-4in. long, about -|in. wide, linear-lanceolate, 

 acute. Eacemes 2-6, axillary near the tips of the branches 

 lin.-2^in. long, obtuse, lin. broad, spreading or patent; 

 rhachis, pedicels, bracteoles, and sepals puberulous, bracteole& 

 much shorter than the pedicels, obtuse or subacute. Flowers 

 secund, pedicels exceeding the calyx. Calyx cleft for one- 

 third of its length ; segments very short, broadly rounded 

 above, ciliolate ; corolla Ain.-iin. in diameter, tubular, seg- 

 ments but slightly expanded, short, rounded, the uppermost 

 naiTower and longer than the others. Stamens exserted, ex- 

 ceeding the style. Capsule broadly ovate, acute, pedicels 

 curved upwards in fruit. 



North Island: Great Barrier Island, T. Kirk; Whanga- 

 rei Harbour, T. B. Gillies and T. Kirk. 



The nearest affinity of this fine plant is with V. macrocarpa^ 

 Vahl., from which it differs in the more fleshy narrower leaves, 

 obtuse racemes which are always shorter than the leaves, and 

 especially in the broadly rounded sepals. The flowers are 

 purple, but never approach the deep-violet hue of V. rotundata. 



V. rotundata, n. s. 



A laxly-branched shrub, 2ft. -6ft. high, glabrous. Leaves 

 about Sin. long, ^in.-lin. broad, sessile or abruptly narrowed 

 into a very short sheathing petiole, elliptic-oblong, subacute. 

 Eacemes 2-4 in the axils of the upper leaves, 3in.-5in. long, 

 lin. diameter. Flowers densely crowded, large, rhachis 

 puberulous or pubescent. Calyx divided almost to the base, 

 sepals oblong, subacute or acute ; corolla-tube rather shorter 

 than the spreading unequal limb, upper segment narrow, 

 lower segments overlapping ; stamens greatly exserted, ex- 

 ceeding the minute capitate stigma. Capsule suborbicular, 

 compressed, broadly rounded at the apex. 



North Island : Near Wellington. South Island : Near 

 Southbridge. T. Kirk. Probably not infrequent. 



This handsome species is distinguished from all others of 

 this section by the broadly-rounded capsules. It has hitherto 

 been confused with V. salicifolia and V. macrocarya, from 

 both of which it may be distinguished at sight by the less 

 acute and broader leaves. The flowers are usually of a deep- 

 violet colour when first expanded, but often change to a pale 

 lilac. I was disposed to consider it identical with V. myrti- 

 folia, Banks and Sol., but Mr. James Brittain, of the British 

 Museum, South Kensington, who kindly compared it with the 

 original Banksian specimen at my request, assures me that it 

 is distinct. 



