204 Transactions. 



nine species in New Zealand, is represented in tliis district by five or six 

 species (I understand a new species was discovered by Mr. Matthews this 

 year). -Most of these are moorland-plants. The flowers of this genus are 

 less like the generally accepted idea of orchids than any other. The genus 

 " is remarkable from the lip being quite free from the column and resembl- 

 ing the petals and sepals, so that the perianth has little of the irregular 

 appearance of an orchid, but rather resembles that of an Ixia or a Sisy- 

 rinchium.'"* Of the Thelymitrae the most showy and one of the most 

 common is T. pulcheUa, easily distinguished by the large blue-purple flowers. 

 T. ixioides and T. sp. nov. are the rarest of the genus. What I take to be 

 Berggren's T. intermedia is not uncommon on old clay landslips and hill- 

 sides. 



Orthoceras, which is not uncommon on dry banks, is rather a curious- 

 looking plant. The flowers, which grow in the form of a spike, bear a general 

 resemblance to a number of grasshoppers climbing up a stick. Microtis 

 porrifolia, a common orchid in almost all situations, bears a close resemblance 

 to the next genus, PrasophyUum, of Avhich there are two species in the district. 

 Both are moorland-plants, and not uncommon. I think the one now in- 

 cluded under P. CoJensoi, will prove to be a different species. Mr. Cheese- 

 man, referring to it in a letter, says, " Your plant is not quite identical 

 with the southern plant, but until a very careful comparison can be made 

 of the structure of the flowers . . . they are best kept together." 



Caleana minor, a rare plant, is found on barren-looking moorland near 

 Kaitaia. " A most remarkable little plant. The column is horizontally 

 placed, forming a broad pouch ; the lamina of the lip, when at rest, is 

 elevated by the slender elastic claw, and swings directly above it. When 

 an insect alights on the lamina it overbalances, shutting up the insect 

 within the concavity of the column. "f 



The flowers of Pterostylis, of which we have five out of the eleven species 

 found in the Dominion, are also insect-traps ; they are in form like boat- 

 shaped hoods. P. Banksii and P. graminea are common in forests, and 

 P. trullifolia. plentiful on moorlands and dry open ridges in the bush. 

 P. micromega is a rare swamp-orchid ; P. harhata, another rare plant. So 

 far the latter two are only known in this district near Kaitaia. Acianthus, 

 a very small plant, is one of the commonest orchids we have ; it is usually 

 found in humus in the bush. Cyrtostylis, a small delicate orchid, is not 

 uncommon ; usually on dry ridges. Calochilus paludosus is another rather 

 rare orchid ; Kaitaia is one of the six places in the Dominion from which 

 it has been reported. On clay hills from Kaitaia to Fairburn occurs a 

 slender form of Caladenia minor, which Mr. Cheeseman has distinguished 

 as var. exigua. Another of Mr. Matthews's discoveries was Chiloglottis 

 formicifera, previously only known from eastern Austraha. C. cornuta also 

 occurs, but is not common. 



Of Corysanthes, six of the seven species occur. The flower resembles 

 a helmet iii shape, and is, as a rule, of a deep-purple colour. They are 

 all shade-loving plants. In the Manual C. Cheesemanii is reported from 

 " Kaitaia ; vicinity of Auckland ; Westport." This is a small plant, easily 

 overlooked, and probably not uncommon in open bush and scrub throughout. 

 I found a few specimens at Mau,ku, in Manukau County ; it occurs also in 

 Fairburn, but is rare. Of C. Matthewsii, originally found at Kaitaia, I 



* " Manual of New Zealand Flora," p. (UiS. 

 ^Ih'd., p. 077. 



