Petrie. — Description of ^'ew Nafivc Phanerogams. 257 



hills, is especially worthy of exploration, but difficulties of travel have 

 made it almost impracticable. Now that these difficulties are being in 

 part removed, our knowledge of the alpine plants of the region must steadily 

 improve, and to Mr. Crosby Smith and his fellow-workers in the South 

 we must look for a fuller knowledge of them. 



In addition to the new species enumerated above, Mr. Crosby Smith 

 has found Celmisia Traversii Hook. f. on End Peak (Princess Range), at Lake 

 Hauroko, a most unexpected extension of the range of that well-marked 

 species, and in keeping with his former discovery of Stellaria Roughii Hook. f. 

 on the Takitimu Mountains. 



6. Muehlenbeckia Astoni sp, nov. 



Frutex erectus, ad 15dcm, altus, caules complures lignosos, rectos, 

 teretes, brunneos, transversim + 8 mm. latos emittens ; tertia caulis 

 parte summa tantummodo ramosa ; ramis multitoties in ramulos tenues, 

 flexuosos, leves, brmineos, divaricantes et intricate implicatos divisus ; 

 internodiis brevibus. 



Folia parva, pauca, terna v. bina in ramulis lateralibus valde decurtatis 

 insita, magnitudine variabilia, 3-9 mm. lata, paene aeque longa, plerumque 

 late obcordato-cuneata, tenuia, glabra, Integra, apice late incisa ; petiolis 

 gracillimis, laminas fere aequantibus. 



Flores minuti, subglomerati, unisexuales (ut videtur), in extremis 

 ramulis lateralibus foliosis insiti. 



Fructum haud vidi. 



All erect shrub, reaching a height of 15 dcm., and consisting of a 

 number of straight dark -brown glabrous wrinkled canelike woody shoots, 

 + 8 mm. across ; unbranched below, at three-quarters their height branch- 

 ing and repeatedly subdividing into very numerous slender fiexuous divari- 

 cating and interlacing branchlets with short internodes ; the main middle 

 shoot general^ overtopping the lateral ones. 



Leaves in twos or threes on short arrested side shoots, small, few, very 

 variable in size but not in outline, 3-9 mm. broad and about as long, 

 glabrous, thin, entire, broadly notched at the apex, widely obcordate-cuneate 

 or with the base rather rounded, on very slender petioles that equal or ex- 

 ceed the blades ; veins very obscure. 



Flowers mmute, apparently unisexual, m small fascicles at the tips of 

 the arrested leafy lateral shoots. Pedmicles short, very slender, rarely 

 almost obsolete. 



Ripe fruit not seen. 



Hah. — Palliser Bay, near Orongorongo, and Wainuiomata. Collected 

 by Mr. B. C. Aston, who informs me that the plant is of rare occurrence. 



This species is a near ally of M. complexa Meissn. The stout erect woody 

 canelike shoots, the divaricate and interlacing habit of branching, and the 

 thin small obcordate-cuneate leaves clearly mark it off as distinct. Fresh 

 specimens must be studied to ascertain the characters of the flowers and 

 fruit. Owing to the entanglement of the twigs and their flexuous form 

 it is difficult to make satisfactory dried specimens, as the leaves and flowers 

 cannot be directly subjected to pressure, so that they are very apt to curl 

 and fall off. 



9— Trans. 



