444 Tra nsactions . — Bota ny. 



peduncles, rliacliis, pedicels, under-surfaces of bracts, and 

 usually the outer involucral leaves, are more or less clothed 

 with appressed snow-white tomentum. Again, the involucral 

 leaves may be arranged in one or two or many series ; the 

 outer series of florets may be either ligulate or campanulate, 

 so that the heads are rayless or destitute of rays, while the 

 disc-florets may be yellow or of a deep violet-purple colour ; 

 lastl}', the achenes may be glabrous or silky, and the pappus- 

 hairs equally arranged in a single series, or unequal and ar- 

 ranged in two series. 



A. Flower-heads terminal. 



1. Olearia semidentata,Decaisne, in Hook, f., Fl. N.Z.,i.,115. 



A small sparingly-branched shrub 1ft. -2ft. high ; branches 

 slender, sparingly clothed with loose tomentum. Leaves 

 close-set, spreading or ascending, li^in.-2iin. long, ;^iu.-^iu. 

 broad, linear-lanceolate, acute, narrowed at the base, distantly 

 serrate, white beneath, with thin appressed tomentum, coria- 

 ceous. Heads crowded on slender peduncles, equalling or ex- 

 ceeding the leaves, and clothed with distant linear bracts ; 

 involucral leaves in 3 series, acute. Achenes faintly striate, 

 glabrous or faintly puberulous. 



Hah. Chatham Islands : Dieffenbacli, Captain Gilbert Mair, 

 W. L. Williams, H. II. Travels, and others. 



A charming plant, easilj' distinguished from all other species 

 by the crowded linear, acute serrate leaves, which are some- 

 times less than t^in. broad. The ray-florets are purple, those 

 of the disc deep violet. 



2. O. cliathamica, n.s. 



Of similar habit to the preceding, but more robust. Leaves 

 excessively coriaceous, lin.-2in. long, ^in.-fiu. broad, ovate, 

 or oblong-lanceolate, narrowed into a short broad petiole, 

 acute, serrate, teeth with obtuse callous tipfe ; white, with 

 appressed tomentum beneath ; midrib and lateral nerves 

 prominent beneath. Flower-heads few, on slender peduncles 

 with distant linear bracts, white beneath ; involucral leaves 

 in 2 series, the outer white, with loose tomentum ; ray-florets 

 with white ligulate corollas, disc-florets violet-purple. Achenes 

 striated pubescent. 0. operina, Hook, f., Handbk. N.Z. FL, 

 p. 731. 0. angustifolia, var., J. Buchanan, Trans. N.Z. Inst, 

 vii. (1874), pi. XV. 



Hah. Chatham Islands. II. II. Tra vers ! 



Best distinguished from 0. semidentata by the broader, 

 coriaceous leaves, with obtuse teeth ; from 0. operina and 

 0. ancjiistifolia by the slender peduncles and distant linear 

 bracts. A charming plant. In the " Vegetation of the 

 Chatham Islands," under "0. semidentata,'" p. 22, Baron von 



