434 Transactions. 



Lake Ngatu plant were kindly forwarded by Mr. R. H. Matthews, 

 and an additional parcel has just been received from the same 

 gentleman. Unfortunately, Mr. Matthews has so far failed to 

 find the male flowers ; but his specimens show all stages of the 

 female flowers, from the young bud to the fully ripened fruit, 

 and they leave no doubt in my mind that the plant must be 

 transferred to the genus Hydatella. 1 therefore subjoin a descrip- 

 tion of the genus and an amended specific character. 



Hydatella, Diels. 



Minute tufted and stemless annual herbs. Leaves numerous, 

 all radical, filiform. Scapes usually numerous, radical, shorter 

 than the leaves, each bearing a terminal head of minute flowers 

 enclosed within 2-5 bracts ; heads unisexual. Bracts usually 

 2 in the Australian species, 3-5 in the New Zealand. Male 

 flowers : Stamens with a filiform filament and a 2-celled oblong 

 anther. Female flowers : Ovaries densely crowded within the 

 bracts, numerous, oblong or ovoid, not angled nor compressed, 

 l-celled and 1-ovuled ; styles numerous, filiform, elongated, 

 unequal in length. Fruit oblong or elliptic-ovoid, apparently 

 indehiscent. 



A genus of three species, two found in West Australia, the 

 third endemic in New Zealand. 



\. H. inconspicua, Cheesem. 



A very minute slender perfectly glabrous annual herb, forming 

 dense moss-like tufts ^1 in. high. Leaves numerous, all radical, 

 filiform, strict, erect, terete, gradually tapering to an acute 

 point. Scapes very short in the flowering stage, lengthening to 

 one-half or three-quarters the length of the leaves when in fruit. 

 Bracts 3-5, erect or erecto-patcnt, linear-lanceolate to ovate- 

 lanceolate, acute, thin and membranous, y^^-s^i^- loi^g- Heads 

 unisexual ; males not seen. Ovaries densely crowded w^ithin the 

 bracts, usually from 10 to 20, shortly stipitate, ovoid or oblong- 

 ovoid, smooth, pale yellow-brown or reddish. Styles numerous, 

 very delicate, forming a spreading brush at the tip of the ovary, 

 and often much longer than it. Ripe fruit elliptic-ovoid, pale 

 yellow-brown with a dark spot at each end. 



So far this has only been found on the sandy shores of Lake 

 Ngatu, a small lake situated behind the coastal sand-dunes 

 about six or eight miles north of Ahipara, but doubtless it will 

 be found on the shores of some of the numerous similar lakes 

 existing in the North Cape peninsula. It principally differs 

 from the Australian species in the more numerous bracts, and 

 (judging from Dr. Diel's plate) in the stricter and more densely 

 tufted habit. 



