Cheeseman. — Discovery of a Swedes of Burmanniacete. 141 



the North Island, forwarded to me a single specimen of a plant found by 

 him at Opepe, near Lake Taiipo, which from its habit and general appear- 

 ance I at once provisionally referred to the Burmannincece. Positive identi- 

 fication, however, was quite impossible, as the whole of the interior of the 

 flower, including the stamens, upper part of the ovary, and the style and 

 stigma, had been removed through the attacks of some insect. The discovery 

 induced me to make a special journey to Lake Taupo, in which I was accom- 

 panied by Mr. Hill ; but, although a long search was made in the locality 

 where the first specimen had been obtained, another damaged specimen 

 was all that could be found. In January, 1905, I made another search 

 for the plant at the southern end of Lake Taupo, but entirely without 

 success. In January, 1907, Mr. Hill paid another visit to Opepe, accom- 

 panied by Mr. A. Hamilton, of Wellington. On this occasion he was fortu- 

 nate enough to find a considerable number of specimens in full flower, most 

 of which he very kindly forwarded to me. An examination of these proved 

 that the plant had been correctly referred to the Burmamiiacece, and that 

 it must be included in the subfamily Thismiece, which differs from fhe rest 

 of the Burmanniacecp in possessing both the inner and outer whorls of stamens, 

 and in the unusually large development of the anther-connective. It further 

 appeared that there was little to separate Mr. Hill's plant from the genus 

 Bagnisia, as amended by Engler in " Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien " 

 (vol. ii., part 6, p. 48), where it is made to include both Bagnisia and Geo- 

 mitra of Beccari (" Malesia," vol. i, pp. 249-50, tt. 10-12), the only differ- 

 ence of importance being that in Bagnisia and Geomitra three of the perianth- 

 segments are wanting, or reduced to mere rudiments ; whereas in the New 

 Zealand plant they are^well developed, being quite half the length of the 

 inner segments. In this respect it agrees with the genus Thismia, but 

 differs in the inner perianth-segments being dilated and connivent at the 

 tips, exactly as in Bagnisia and Geomitra. In the position of the stamens 

 and the structure of the anther it agrees with Geomitra ; in fact, the anther- 

 connective of Geomitra episcopalis, as figured by Beccari, very closely re- 

 sembles that of the New Zealand plant. If, therefore, Engler is to be followed 

 in merging Geomitra with Bagnisia, it appears to me that the New Zealand 

 plant should be placed in the latter genus. In a recent number of the " Kew 

 Bulletin " I have therefore applied the name of Bagnisia Hillii to the plant. 

 It gives m.e great pleasure to associate Mr. Hill's name v/ith the species, 

 as some slight recognition of the long-continued interest he has taken in 

 New Zealand botany, and of his unwearied kindness in supplying both Mr. 

 Colenso and myself with specimens of many interesting plants collected 

 during his journeys in the interior of the North Island. The* following 

 description will enable the species to be recognised : — 



Bagnisia (Geomitra) Hillii, Cheesem. in "' Kew Bulletin," 1908, p. 420. 



A minute colourless saprophyte, perfectly smooth in all its parts ; leaves 

 wanting or reduced to minute scales. Rhizome creeping amongst humus 

 at the base of tall forest-trees, sparingly or copiously branched, 5-10 cm. 

 long, 1-1-5 mm. thick, fleshy, naked. Peduncles springing from the axils 

 of minute fleshy bracts, 1-flowered, erect or curved, 0-5-1-5 cm. long ; 

 bracteoles 3-7, alternate, .lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or acumi- 

 nate, the upper gradually larger, 1-5 mm. long. Flowers solitary, terminal, 

 large for the size of the plant, 1-1-7 cm. long, about 0-7 cm. broad, bright 

 rose-pink when fresh. Perianth campanulate-lanterniform ; tube obovate- 

 oblong, distinctly 6-12 costate ; outer perianth-segments smaller, free. 



