272 Transactions. — Botany. 



3-4 Jong acuminate bracts, clasping, adpressed, besides those 

 under each pedicel. Flowers 2-3, on rather long pedicels, light- 

 brownish striped with red, scarcely J inch long, and nearly as 

 broad, sub-second, slightly drooping, gaping ; galea boat-shaped, 

 much and somewhat abruptly arched with a short tip ; petals 

 broadly lanceolate or sub-rhomboidal, lower margin cilio-serru- 

 late, tip acute ; lower lip sub-orbicular, bifid nearly to middle, 

 tips sub-acute, scarcely produced ; labellum small, pale, highly 

 irritable, broadly oblong, margin entire, very obtuse, with two 

 minute crenulations at tip ; appendage short, thickened and 

 rounded at base, sub-erect, free, dark-green ; column wings sub- 

 quadrate, auricled, auricles very obtuse and rounded, their 

 margins finely ciliate, not produced above, but front upper angle 

 thickened and dark-green ; the lower and slender portion of the 

 column broadest in the middle ; stigma small, scarcely promi- 

 nent. Ovary (immature) long, clavate ; valves widely separate, 

 with narrow, raised, green margins and round apices. 



Hub. Open turfy spots, flat lands, south bank of the river 

 Waipawa ; 1885 : Mr. H. Hill. 



Obs. I. This is an interesting little species, from its differing 

 so very widely from all its known New Zealand congeners : yet, 

 in several particulars, allied to some of the small Australian 

 species, as P. inutica, Br., and P. aphylla, Lindl. Its little 

 labellum is very irritable, dike those of some other species of 

 this genus,) closing sharply up against the column with a spring 

 on being only slightly breathed on ! and so remaining. Their 

 root-leaves, like those of the allied Australian species above- 

 noted, mostly wither before flowering. 



II. In the spring of this year (1885), I received from Mr. 

 Hill two very small plants about \- inch high, with their tip? of 

 greyish leaves scarcely emerging above the tuft of mosses 

 among which they grew, yet, fortunately, with their subterranean 

 stems and little tubers complete. These I carefully planted, 

 and was rewarded in seeing them flower in November. Mr. 

 Hill informs me that it was on a spot where he was resting, 

 during his journey, that he casually found them (in the mosses). 

 I presume, from the smallness of the plant, and its dull, unin- 

 viting appearance, it has long been overlooked. 



Genus 15. Thelymitra, Forst. 

 1. T. alba, sp. nov. 



Bather stout, 8-9 inches high. Leaf linear, 10-11 inches 

 long, 3-4 lines broad, rather thin, many-nerved (sub 10), 

 nerves closely and finely papillose at back in lower part of leaf. 

 Raceme 3 inches long, 8-flowered ; pedicels -J- inch ; bracts large, 

 1-1-| inches long, oblong, suddenly acuminate, very acute, 10- 

 nerved (as also sepals and petals). Sepals light-greenish purple 

 with very thin white margins ; petals pure white ; both with 



