288 Transactions. — Botany. 



By the time a plant is 18 cm. tall and furnished with 

 several branches most of the early leaves have fallen off, and 

 those now being produced are of the adult linear type and 

 almost sessile, with scabrid margin, and measuring 4-4 cm. x 

 5'5 mm. 



The stem in these older seedlings is minutely pubescent, 

 often much stained with purple ; internodes + 12 mm. 



I have never seen the plant in its natural station. 

 Mr. T. Kirk merely gives " Nelson — Matori and Wairoa 

 Valley "* as the habitat, so I can say nothing as to the con- 

 ditions under which it grows.! The leaf changes are of in- 

 terest from the petiolate, ovate, toothed leaf, 9 mm. x 5 mm., 

 to the narrow obovate leaf, and finally to the very distinct 

 almost sessile linear, or, according to Kirk's description, 

 " narrow linear-lanceolate," leaf, which is quite glabrous and 

 entire, and 5-7 cm. x 6 mm. The early type of leaf (fig. 37} 

 much resembles that of the same stage of V. traversii. 



No. 692 bis. Veronica armstrongii, T. Kirk. Plate XI. r 



figs. 27-35. 



The seed was collected from a cultivated plant in my 

 garden, and sown on the 1st September, 1899. Germination 

 took place from the 12th September, 1899, until the 30th 

 October of the same year, and even then seeds were still 

 germinating. 



Description of Seedling. 



Early development : The primary root and hypocotyl 

 emerge from the seed-coat, and when they together about 

 equal the latter in length the root bends downwards with its 

 extremity to the ground. The hypocotyl then lengthens con- 

 siderably, and from its base a ring of short fixing-hairs are 

 developed ; then the root pushes into the ground and grows 

 downwards rapidly, while at the same time the cotyledons 

 escape from the half-decayed seed-coat and open out hori- 

 zontally to the light. The cotyledons rapidly increase in size, 

 and the 1st two leaves make their appearance. Both cotyle- 

 dons and leaves increase in size, the latter becoming much 

 more toothed, and their petioles increasing in length and 

 protecting the 2nd pair of leaves, which are now making their 

 appearance, but still quite hidden between the two erect 

 petioles. These petioles lengthen and open out, becoming 

 further apart as the 2nd pair of leaves develope, while at the 

 same time the 1st internode slightly increases in length. As 

 the blades of the 1st pair of leaves grow the teeth also 



* I.e., p. 528. 



t I have alRO in my herbarium a plant which Mr. D. Petrie sent to- 

 me, collected at Whakatane, Auckland, which seems to be this species. 



