382 Transactions. — Botany. 



margin crenulate. Anthers numerous, broadly elliptic. Stigmas 

 hooked, finely papillate. Achenes in a small round head, 

 about 12, glabrous, sub-orbicular, turgid. 



Hab. High, dry, open plains, Tahoraiti, south of Danne- 

 virke, County of Waipawa ; flowering early in October ; gre- 

 gariously scattered, presenting when together, and the sun 

 shining, a neat pleasing appearance, from their star-like 

 brilliant yellow flowers ; 1885-1890 : W. C. 



Obs. This little plant, I confess, has much puzzled me, 

 and that for a long time — ever since my first detecting it, six 

 years ago — as it certainly approaches B. multiscajms, Hook., 

 very closely. It differs, however, from that species in several 

 particulars : as in its common manner of growth, stellate and 

 closely appressed to the ground, smaller and more simple 

 leaves, fewer scapes, purple sepals, remarkably long white 

 hairs, with their very conspicuous muricated bases, on the 

 calyx lobes, — a prominent and invariable character that could 

 not have been overlooked by Hooker. In this spring season 

 (1890) I visited those localities much earlier than I had ever 

 done before, and so saw this neat but humble plant (with 

 several other lowly harbingers) in all its glory. 



Genus 4. Caltha, Linn. 



1. C. marginata, sp. nov. 



A small tufted, rather slender, glabrous perennial herb ; 

 rootstock thickish, with a few (6) radical leaves, and short 

 1-flowered scape. Leaves spreading; blade green, 4-5 lines 

 long, broadly elliptic, much-veined, deeply emarginate, largely 

 cordate and auricled at base, with the obtuse auricles turned 

 up and closely appressed to the surface of the leaf ; margins 

 broadly cartilaginous and pale, irregularly and distantly crenu- 

 late ; petioles brownish, fin.-lin. long, dilated at base into 

 large membranous sheaths. Flower fin. - lin. diameter ; 

 scape half as long as petioles, stoutish, dark-brown. Sepals 

 5, linear acuminate, margined, purple on the outside, pale- 

 yellowish within, margins thickened, white. Stamens few, 

 short ; anthers elliptic. Carpels few ; style short, stout, 

 shining, slightly hooked. 



Hah. On secondary summits of Euahine Mountain-range, 

 east side, County of Waipawa ; 1890 : Mr. A. Olsen. 



Obs. A species evidently closely allied to C. nova-zealandics, 

 Hook, (discovered by me on the same range, but much higher 

 up) ; but this is a smaller plant, and differs in several charac- 

 ters : as in the shape of its leaves, w-hich are also crenulate 

 and largely margined, their cartilaginous margins being con- 

 spicuously pale ; in its narrower and purple sepals, which are 

 also margined ; and in its fewer stamens. 



