Colenso. — Newly-discovered Indigenous Plants. 261 



Hah. In low spots, margins of woods near Norsewood, 

 County of Waipawa ; 1884-85 : W.C. 



. I. This plant forms large dense patches, overrunning 

 all low herbage, roots, twigs, etc., in a very tangled way ; it has, 

 however, a pretty uniform and striking appearance from its pale 

 colour and neat leaves. It grows profusely in three or four spots 

 in the locality named, but I have not observed it anywhere else. 



Obs II. This species has some affinity with H. moschata, 

 Forst., also with H. compacta, A. Rich., (another New Zealand 

 species,) and probably with some Australian and Tasmanian 

 species (as 11. hirta, Br.), judging from diagnoses of Hook, fil., 

 and Bentham ; but, in my opinion, is very distinct, and one not 

 readily confounded with our many New Zealand species. 



2. H. alsophila, sp. nov. 



Plant weak, glabrous, prostrate, creeping, much entangled ; 

 stems 1-2 feet (or more) long, rooting at nodes. Leaves rather 

 distant on stems, 1 inch or more apart, membranous, bright 

 green, sub-orbicular-reniform, 9-14 lines diameter, 8- veined and 

 lobed, the four central lobes large and rounded at tips almost 

 entire, or each lobe having three blunt crenate-serratures, the two 

 outer lobes crenate-toothed at base ; sinus large ; lamina reticu- 

 late ; petioles 2^—3 inches long, nerved, with a few long flaccid 

 succulent jointed white hairs immediately under the leaves, each 

 one enclosed in a pellucid tubular membrane ; stipules large, 

 very membranous, largely and finely reticulated, margins entire. 

 Peduncles very short, about 2 lines long, stoutish ; umbals 9-1 1 

 flowered (usually 10) ; flowers small, pedicelled ; pedicels short, 

 stout : bracteoles bladdery, obtuse, concave ; petals white ; 

 styles flexuous, incurved ; "stigmas stout, largely tubercled. 

 Fruit small, ^th inch diameter, glabrous, very thin, pale yel- 

 lowish-brown ; carpels with one rib on each face. 



Hub. In dense dark forests, Seventy-mile Bush, County of 

 Waipawa; 1882-85: W.C. 



Obs. This plant grows profusely in large patches, extending 

 many yards each way. It seems to be allied to H. nova-zea- 

 landia, DC, and H. heteromeria, DC, but is quite distinct. 



Order XXXVIII. RUBIACE^. 

 Genus 1. Coprosma, Forst. 

 1. C. rufescens, sp. nov. 



A tall, slender, erect, distantly branched shrub, 9-12 feet 

 high ; bark greyish ; epidermis slightly scaly. Branches and 

 branchlets few, very long, slender, opposite, divaricate at nearly 

 right angies, and spreading ; branchlets densely hairy, with 

 patent reddish hairs. Leaves few, somewhat scattered, mostly 

 in distant pairs at tips of branches and branchlets, very mem- 

 branous, sub-rugulose, broadly elliptic, sometimes (but rarely) 



