278 Transactions. — Botany. 



many, shorter than culm, each one (also culm) issuing from a 

 fistular sheath; sheaths ^-1 inch long, red, sulcated, glossy, 

 truncated with a rather long, abrupt linear mucro. Involucral 

 bract usually 1, erect, obtuse, continuation of culm, \-h inch 

 long. Spikelets ovoid-acuminate, generally 3, lateral, 1-2 lines 

 long, the middle one longest, pale coloured with conspicuous 

 green stripes, sometimes only 1, and also (but rarely) 4-7 and 

 then proliferous, with small leafy bracts arising from coloured 

 sheaths. Glumes numerous, about 15, concave, broadly ovate, 

 sub-acute, whitish, sprinkled with oblong red dots, and a broad 

 green line on the back, but not keeled, strongly and many- 

 nerved, netted with numerous transverse veinlets, margins en- 

 tire, thin. Nut very small, elliptic, slightly sub-trigonous with 

 a narrow produced margin and a long apiculate beak, shortly 

 pedicellate, pale whitish-brown, smooth, glossy. Style red- 

 brown ; stigmatic branches 3, long, curved, scarcely scaberulous 

 but roughish, as with minute tubercles. Stamen 1, filament 

 clavate, often persistent on nut and nearly twice its length. 



Hub. Low wet grounds, sides of rivers, and damp shaded 

 woods, where it forms large grass-like beds ; Seventy-mile Bush, 

 County of Waipawa ; 1880-85 : W.C. 



Obs. A species having pretty close affinity with i". inundata, 

 I. riparia, and /. prolifera, Brown, (Scirpvs of Sprengel, and of 

 Bentham, " Fl. Australiensis,") but approaching nearest to the 

 former ; differing, however, in its many leaves, and in its nut 

 being narrower and obtusely angled, with a long terminal point ; 

 and from them all in its peculiar netted scales, and in its 

 coloured truncated sheaths to leaves and culm. 



Genus 10. Gahnia, Forst. 

 1. G. scaberula, sp. no v. 



Plant bushy, in moderate size tufts, leaves rough, 3-4 feet long, 

 spreading ; culms terete, smooth, leafy, about same length as leaves. 

 Panicle 18 inches long, compound, slender, nodding, general 

 colour light-brown ; sub-panicles and pedicels light yellowish- 

 green ; peduncles and sub-peduncles slender, roughish, com- 

 pressed ; pedicels scabnd, flattish, rigid, 2-4 lines long ; floral 

 Dract scaberulous, 7-nerved, very acuminate, sub-awned, dark 

 red-brown, edges scarious and pale-coloured. Spikelets small, 

 slender, 8 lines long, with generally seven glumes closely 

 appressed ; the three outer glumes minutely rough above, dark 

 red-brown, the outermost one 3-nerved, scabrid on central nerve, 

 aristate, barbed ; the inner glumes 1-nerved, acuminate, very 

 small and convolute, with very concave margins and obtuse 

 apiculate tips, smooth below, scabrid at tips, the innermost one 

 wholly puberulent and emarginate, their bases white, tips 

 reddish-purple. Stamens : anthers 4. linear-lanceolate, H lines 

 long, pale straw-colour, with a long acuminate and serrulate 



