196 Transactions. 



ones more or less distichoiisly placed, the upper spirally arranged ; tlie 

 few almost sessile flowers, placed at the tips of the branchlets, and 

 apparently always of a bright-pink colour ; and the strict and erect 

 perfectly glabroiis capsules, the peduncles of which only slightly elongate 

 after the flowering period." 



If the name E. confertifolmm be confined to the subantarctic plant, 

 then obviously a new name is demanded for those mainland plants 

 referred to that species. But there is already the var. tasmanicum of 

 E. confertifolium to meet the case. This variety^ — ^or, according to 

 Haussknecht, distinct species — was founded by the last-named taxonomist 

 on a plant collected by Gunn in Tasmania, and another plant collected 

 by T. Kirk near Lake Harris, Otago. An excellent figure of his species is 

 supplied by Haussknecht (" Monographie^der Gattung Epilobium " (1884), 

 taf. 20, fig. 84). By the aid of this figure, Haussknecht 's descrij)tion of his 

 species {I.e., p. 296), and an examination of a type specimen in Kirk's 

 herbarium the differences between E. tasmanicum and E. nibro-marginatum 

 can be ascertained. Thus E. tasmanicum is an altogether smaller, more 

 compact plant, with much shorter, more slender, and far less woody stems, 

 which are altogether glabrous, and its leaves are ovate or oblong-ovate 

 and more conspicuously toothed, and the midrib hardly keeled. 



Besides the three closely allied plants dealt with above, there are various 

 closely related forms, so that it is difficult to draw strict lines of demar- 

 cation. This doubtless arises in part from the fact that, as in the case of 

 many high-mountain plants, both material in sufficient abundance and 

 detailed field observations are lacking, while a full series of specimens 

 is not to be seen in cultivation. Possibly the best course to take would 

 be to once more unite all the species of the confertifolium group into an 

 aggregate. If that were done, then there would be vars. tasmanicum and 

 rubro-marginatum, while a varietal name — e.g., "vera," ^'' subantarcticum'' 

 or '^ puniceum'' — would have to be found for the "type." Also, most 

 likely, other varieties would have to be constituted. But, so far as my 

 own knowledge goes, I am not in a position to make further advance. 



5. Helichrysum dimorphum Cockayne. 



In the description of this species (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 47, (1915), 

 p. 117), the height of the liane is given as 6-8 m. This is a slip of the pen, 

 6-8 being taken from my note-book and referring to feet. The true height, 

 then, should be 1 •8-2-4 m. Of course, any reader who notes that the plant 

 is described as climbing through river-terrace scrub could hardly fail to 

 correct the error for himself, since scrub 8 m. high would be scrub no longer, 

 but forest. 



6. Helichrysum Fowerakeri Cockayne sp. nov. 



Suffrutex parvT-is, ramis baso prostratis radicantibus, deinde erectis, 

 junioribus partibus dense albo-lanatis, gracillimis, pauciramosis, + 8 cm. 

 longis. Folia obovato-spathulata, utrinque albo-tomentosa pilis sericeis, 

 margine integerrima, apice obtusa nonnumquam subacuta, mucro parvo 

 ornata. Capitula terminalia circ. 10 mm. diametro solitaria vel pedunculis 

 corymboso-ramosis ; pedunculi circ. 6-2 cm. longi, numerosis bracteis 

 linearis acutis tomentosis praediti ; involucri-bractae circ. 5-seriatae lineari- 

 spathulatae 3-6 mm. longae unguibus scariosis parce sericeis et laminis albis 

 patentibus circ. 3 mm. longis. Receptaculum subconicum. Flores nume- 

 rosi ; achenium glabrum. 



