186 Transactions. 



Lactuca muralis E. Mey. 



Wangapeka Valley, Nelson ; F. G. Gibhs ! The first record lor the 

 species in the Nelson Provincial District. 



Linaria Cymbalaria Mill. 



This has become extensively naturalized on the lava-fields surrounding 

 the base of Mount Wellington,* Auckland ; T. F. C. 



Verbena bonariensis Linn. 



I am indebted to Mr. T. S. Crompton for specimens of this collected in 

 the vicinity of New Plymouth. Mr. Crompton informs me that he has seen 

 it in several localities within a radius of six to eight miles from the town. 



Ottelia ovalifolia L. Rich. 



Since I first recorded the existence of this species in New Zealand (Trans. 

 N.Z. "Inst., vol. 31 (1898), p. 350) it has appeared in many of the streams 

 and lakes of the Auckland Provincial District, stretching from the Auckland 

 isthmus southwards to the Upper Waikato and Waipa. It has become 

 specially abundant in Lakes Waikare and Whangape, and in most of the 

 slow-running tributaries of the Waikato from Huntly to the mouth of 

 the river. It is difficult to account for its rapid spread, except on the 

 assumption that seeds or young plants have been conveyed by aquatic 

 birds, for although its spread along the Waikato River may be due to floods 

 transferring plants or seeds, that explanation will not suffice to account for 

 the appearance of the plant in such isolated localities as Lake Takapuna, 

 Chelsea, Hunua, Waitakarei River, &c. 



Apera spica-venti Beauv. 



Mr. Petrie has shown me specimens of this collected by him in the 

 immediate vicinity of Auckland, and informs me that he has observed it 

 in the Provincial District of Otago. So far as I am aware, it has not been 

 previously recorded from the Southern Hemisphere. 



Ap.t. XXV. — Preliminanj Note on the Fungi of the Neiv Zealand Epiphytic 



Orchids. 



By T. L. Lancaster, Sir George Grey Scholar, Victoria College. Wellington. 



Communicated by Professor Kirk. 



[Bead before the Wetlinyton Philosophical Society, 7th September, 1910.] 



The epiphytic orchids found in New Zealand comprise six species, all of 

 which are endemic. The four genera to which they belong are typically 

 Tropical, two (Sarcochilus R. Br. and Bulbophyllum Thouars) being widely- 

 distributed in tropical regions. Dendrohium Swartz has its headquarters 

 in the Malay Archipelago, while Earina Liiidl. extends to the islands of the 



