vox Ettingshausen. — Fossil Flora of New Zealand. 295 



rhizome. Fig. 2, from the same locahty, represents a piece of a 

 yomig stalk, which shows traces of fine longitudinal stripes and 

 knots. Fig. 1, from Grey Eiver, is a well-preserved fragment of 

 a stronger stalk with fine longitudinal stripes and a somewhat 

 oblique knot. Fig. 3, from the same deposit, shows a small 

 fragment of a blade, which, according to its width and the 

 several principal nerves, which are surrounded by several fine 

 intermediate nerves (see enlargement, fig. da), agrees with the 

 above remains of a Bamhusea. 



MUSACE^. 



Haastia speciosa, sp. nov. 



Plate XXXI., fig. 5. 



H. foliis amplis, nervo lirimario 6cm.-8-5cm. crasso, striato, 

 nervis secundariis tenuissimis oblique insevtis simplicihus, den- 

 sissime confertis, apicem versus avcuatim convergentibus ; 

 nervis interstitialibus vix distinctis. 



Locality: Pakawau, Nelson (Canterbury Museum). [Ex 

 Coll. N.Z. Geol. Surv. ; Hector.] 



Of this Musacca, I have before me several large pieces, 

 which can only be parts of an uncommonly large leaf. In 

 order to save space it was possible to depict only one piece, 

 which contains a characteristic part of the leaf. Fig. 5 is 

 taken from about the middle of this gigantic leaf. We see 

 the huge primary nerve, which is more than 8cm. wide, the 

 surface of wdiich is traversed by both fine and coarse longi- 

 tudinal stripes, which latter stand out partly, somewhat like a 

 keel. From this primary nerve start delicate secondary nerves 

 at very acute angles, which are close together and run out- 

 w^ards in diverging curves. The nerves between these seem 

 not iiO have been preserved. From the thickness of the 

 mid-nerve we may conclude that the leaf was about 4m. 

 long, as the length of a living il/^f sa -leaf is l-5m., and the 

 mid-nerve of it is 2cm. wide. A second part of the upper 

 portion of tlie leaf, not shown here, has the primary nerve 

 only 4cm. wide, and more delicately striped ; the longitudinal 

 keels do not exist in this piece ; the origin and course of 

 the secondary nerves are the same as in the previous specimen. 

 Another fragment corresponds with a portion near the top of 

 the leaf ; the primary nerve at the lower end of it is only 2mm. 

 wide — the lamina is torn in several places ; the secondary 

 nerves start at much more acute angles. 



The fossil leaf deviates from all known Musophyllum forms 

 in consequence of its considerable size : as these have been 

 found in the Tertiary strata only, we must take it for granted 

 that they belong to a special genus, which I dedicate to the 

 discoverer. Dr. Julius von Haast. 



