Colenso. — On new Phono gamic Plants. 209 



side, with a loose sheath below near base. Leaf, J inch under 

 spike, very short, about -| inch long, striate, aclpressed, sub- 

 acute, tip thickened. Spike short, £-f inch long, few (3, 5, 8,) 

 flowered ; flowers rather distant, drooping ; bracts very small, 

 adpressed, broad, truncate and letuse. Perianth greenish tinged 

 with red, small, 1-1 i lines long ; dorsal sepal broadly ovate, 

 3-veined, tip acute ; lateral sepals ovate-acuminate, 3-nerved, 

 tips sub-mucronate, dilated ; lateral petals very small, narrow, 

 lanceolate-acuminate, 1-nerved, tips acute, labellum short, sub- 

 cordate-ovate, sub-acute, reticulately veined, 1-nerved, the 

 nerve central and very narrow, margins red, sub-tuberculate- 

 fimbriate ; anther large ; column very short. Ovary sub-erect, 

 3 lines long. 



Hab. Glenross, County of Hawke's Bay ; 1887 : Mr. D. P. 

 Balfour. 



Obs. I have received several specimens of this plant, but 

 all, save one, had just passed flowering ; they were very much 

 alike, merely differing (as above noted) in the number of their 

 flowers. 



Order VIL— LILIACEtE. 



Genus 5. Astelia, Banks and Solander. 

 1. A. planifolia, sp. nov. 



Leaves sub-coriaceous, linear, very acuminate, 24-26 inches 

 long, | inch wide at middle and 1 inch at dilated base, flat, 

 upper surface glabrous, dull light-green ; lower surface hairy ; 

 hairs short, closely adpressed in uniform dot-like patches ; 

 margins flat, entire, and slightly and sparsely sub-ciliate ; 8- 

 nerved, the two central nerves narrow, very prominent on upper 

 surface ; the base dilated with a few short hairs, margins very 

 thin. Scape (fern.) 3-4 inches long (including short raceme), 

 stout, erect, cylindrical below but obtusely sub-triquetrous 

 above, clothed with short adpressed white hairs, (as also 

 pedicels, and outsides of floral bracteoles,) with 4 cauline folia- 

 ceous bracts, the lowermost 8 inches long, very acuminate and 

 nearly as wide as the leaves, sub-amplexicaul, slightly silky aud 

 shining ; raceme sub-corymbose, short, about J inch long, com- 

 posed of 10-20 flowers ; pedicels very stout, 3 lines long, close 

 together and subverticillate, each with a long subulate bracteole 

 at base. Flowers : perianth whitish, glabrous, very mem- 

 branous, spreading, sub-rotate, adhering to ovary below 

 middle; segments G (sometimes 4, 8,) linear-ovate, split nearly 

 to base, tips incurved ; the three outer broader than the three 

 inner ones, reddish, scarious, obsoletely 1-nerved, reflexed in 

 age ; style ; stigma, short, sessile, obtuse, obscurely 3-lobed, 

 papillose ; anthers (abortive) long, narrow, opposite segments. 

 Ovary sub-rhomboidal or broadly ovoid, green, glabrous ; beak 

 short, slightly grooved ; seeds immature. 



14 



