268 Transactions. — Botany. 



from which it differs in habit, length of leaves, panicle, 

 pedicelled flowers, large loose perianth, and shape of ovary. 

 Unfortunately I have had only one female specimen (all that was 

 collected) to examine ; this, however, was perfect and in good 

 condition, except its immature fruit. 



3. A subrigida, sp. nov. 



Plant epiphytal, perennial, densely caespitose. Leaves, about 

 20 to a single tuft or plant, rather short, equitant, diverging 

 fan-like regularly and distichously from the base, which ia 

 sub-cylindrical, not triquetrous, linear-acuminate, 9-11 inches 

 long, 4 lines wide, erect, sub-rigid, tips sharp, sub-coriaceous, 

 glabrous, yellowish-green, striate, 10-12-nerved ; nerves strong ; 

 the upper portion of the under- surface closely appressed with 

 short greenish-grey glossy hairs, having a minutely pitted 

 appearance ; dark-brown, gradually dilated and largely clasping 

 at base, with white shining hairs at the extreme base only. 

 Female : Scape (including panicle) 12-14 inches long, rather 

 slender, trigonous, woody, hard, thickly pilose above with 

 appressed hairs, and shaggy at the base ; hairs white, glossy ; 

 panicle very compact, short, sub-ovate, 5 inches long, composed 

 of 7 sub-panicles ; the lower three being compound, each 

 containing 3 small racemes, the middle one longest, 2^ inches 

 long, and the two laterals short, about 1 inch ; the upper four 

 being short simple racemes ; each sub-panicle with a long 

 membranous bract at base, the lowest one being 7 inches long, 

 broad below, but soon very narrow, and much acuminate. 

 Flowers very compact, brownish ; pedicels stout, short, about 

 j^ inch ; perianth rather small, spreading, 6-fid to base, the 

 three outer lobes larger than the three inner ones. Fruit small, 

 globular, 1^ lines diameter, dull glaucous-green; style short, 

 thick ; stigmas 3, large, coalescing ; seeds small, 12-18, sub- 

 lunate-pyriform, thickest at apex, black, shining, minutely and 

 thickly tuberculate {sub lente), gibbous on one side, slightly 

 obtusely angled on the other, testa produced at funiculus end, 

 sub-trifid. 



Hah. High up in the upper forks of large forest trees, 

 where the plant forms large dense masses ; woods near Norse- 

 wood, County of Waipawa ; 1886 : W.C. 



Ohs. This species of Astelia I have long known in its leafing 

 state, but failed (until this year) in obtaining it in flower and 

 fruit, and then only perfect female scapes ; the male scapes being 

 similar in size, etc., but old, or too long past flowering for 

 accurate description. From the groat quantity of barren plants 

 that I have seen and examined at various seasons, I should 

 suppose this species to flower but rarely. It seems to be widely 

 different from all known and described species ; approaching, 



