Petrie. — Descriptions of New Native Flowering-plants. 53 



Hab. — Awatere Valley, Marlborough : H. J. Matthews. 



A very distinct species, allied, but not closely, to V . salicifolia Forst. f. 

 and V. rotund ata T. Kirk. My specimens came from a plant cultivated 

 by Mr. Matthews, who informed me in letters of its native habitat. It 

 shows no sign of being intermediate between any of the larger-leaved species 

 of the genus, and it seems to me impossible that it can be a hybrid. 



5. Note on Veronica rakaiensis J. B. Armstrong. 



Specimens of what I take to be this species were given me by Mr. W» 

 Willcox, of the Queenstown Domain, who found the plant near the Arrow- 

 town-Macetown Koad, in Lake County. The leaves do not show pubescence 

 on the under-surface, but the characters of the flowers and capsules agree 

 closely with Mr. Armstrong's description. It is a much taller and more 

 slender plant than V. pingui folia Hook, f., with shortly petiolate thinner 

 narrower subacute leaves, and much longer and less pubescent racemes. 



6. Veronica albicans sp. nov. 



Species V. amplexicauli J. B. Armstrong afflnis : difrert foliis basi 

 haud subcordatis, subtus nervis 2 subobscuris submarginalibus supra 

 evanidis notatis ; bracteis parvis brevibus anguste lanceolato-subulatis ; 

 corollae tubo lato calycem duplo superante ; ovario glabro ; capsula glaber- 

 rima elliptico-ovata subacuta. 



A closely branched low shrub ; main branches rather stout, much 

 subdivided towards their tips, bark glabrous dark-brown closely ringed by 

 leaf-scars ; branchlets densely leafy almost to the base, marked by a 

 pubescent tract running down from between the leaves and often extending 

 along the leaf-bases. 



Leaves decussate", spreading, closely placed, broadly ovate or orbicular- 

 ovate, (not subcordate), 17—2 cm. (fin.) long, 1-1*5 cm. ( + ^ in.) broad, 

 silvery grey when fresh, coriaceous, obtuse, entire, glabrous, sessile by a 

 broad base not keeled, more or less concave above, with 2 rather obscure 

 submarginal nerves running up for three -quarters their length, midrib 

 evident above and below. 



Racemes in the axils of the upper leaves, usually in 2 or 3 opposite pairs, 

 twice to thrice as long as the leaves, stout, many-flowered ; rhachis naked 

 below, pubescent or almost villous-pubescent ; bracts small, short, narrow 

 lanceolate-subulate, acute ; peduncles rather -stout, pubescent like the 

 rhachis, twice as long as the bracts or more ; calyx deeply 4-partite, the 

 lobes ovate-oblong obtuse thin dark, delicately ciliate along the margins. 

 Corolla-tube wide, twice as long as the calyx, the limb cut into 4 short broad 

 obtusely rounded lobes ; anthers and style exserted. 



Capsule glabrous, ovate or elliptic-ovate, subacute, about twice as long 

 as the calyx. 



Hab. — Mount Arthur and Mount Cobb, north-west Nelson : H. J. 

 Matthews ! F. G. Gibbs ! 



In one specimen in fruit the leaves are narrower ovate-oblong and 

 subacute, and the lines of pubescence on the ultimate twigs are less 

 conspicuous. 



7. Veronica Lyallii Hook. f. var. angustata var. nov. 



Caules erecti graciles ramosi (plerumque a basi), dense villoso-pubes- 

 centes ; foliis confertis patentibus angustis + 1 cm. longis 2*5-4 mm. latis 



