210 Transactions. — Botany. 



Hab. Forests, Poliue, hilly country west of Napier, Hawke's 

 Bay, growing in rather small tufts on rotten logs ; 1881 : Mr. 

 A. Hamilton. 



Obs. I have received only one flowering specimen of this 

 plant ; and this I have had some time by me. At first sight I 

 saw it was widely different from all the other (now) many species 

 of this peculiar and interesting genus known to me, and I delayed 

 making it known, hoping to obtain further specimens of it bear- 

 ing ripe fruit (as Mr. Hamilton had planted it in his garden) ; 

 also a specimen of the male flower from its native woods. A 

 species having affinity with A. graminifolia, mihi.* 



Order XL— CYPERACE^. 

 Genus 13. Uncinia, Persoon. 

 1. U. capillaris, sp. nov. 



Plant small, densely caaspitose in large patches. Culms few, 

 8-10 (rarely 12) inches long, exceedingly slender, almost capil- 

 lary, sub-cylindrical, channelled smooth, erect, tips drooping ; 

 leafy, 4-5 sheathing leaves on stem. Leaves numerous, a little 

 shorter. than culms (sometimes, though rarely, longer), ^th-inoh 

 wide, green, striate, channelled, keeled, sub-erect, drooping at 

 tips, margins slightly scaberulous ; tips truncate an I thickly 

 scaberulous ; below 2-3 sheathing basal bracts with long awn- 

 like tips ; young leaves capillary. Spikelets distichous, lax, 

 l£-2£ inches long, with 4-7 distant spreading fern, flowers; 

 the upper portion, + inch, male flowers which are closer. Bract 0. 

 Glumes fugacious, ovate, sub-acute, |rds length of utricle, 

 smooth, nerve stout and more so at tip, margins around apex 

 produced, hyaline. Utricle 3 lines long, narrow-lanceolate, 

 triangular, smooth, striate, greenish (light-brown in age) ; bristle 

 2 lines long, slender, flexuous, spreading, white ; hook large. 

 Style long and very rough ; stigmas 2, long, curled. 



Hab. In thick dry woods, south of Danneverke, County of 

 Waipawa; 1887: W.C. 



Obs. A species peculiar for its mode of growth, forming large 

 and thick spreading patches ; also for its excessively narrow leaves 

 and culms, lax, distant and few-flowered spikelet, and bifid stigma. 



2. U. disticha, sp. nov.t 



Plant forming straggling tufts, much drooping. Culms 22 

 inches high, slender, sub-angular, channelled on upper surface, 

 scabrid, leafy with 4-G sheathing leaves on culm. Leaves (and 

 culms) green, about same length as culms, linear, jfoth inch 

 wide, flat, striate, veins red, keeled, scaberulous, very acuminate, 

 tips sub-acute, much drooping. Spikelet small, weak, distich- 

 ous, l£-2 inches long ; fern, flowers G-7, lax ; the upper £ inch 



. . * " Trans. N.Z. lust.,'" vol. xix., p. 2(57. 



f 1 note that Mueller has a species " debilio." — W.C. 



