154 



dark green foliage, covered with the small orange-yellow flowers. Leaves 

 + 1-1*5 cm. by 6-8 mm., with midrib impressed on the upper surface. 

 Petiole + 2 mm., villous when young. Cymes 1*5 cm. long. Peduncle 

 + 5 mm. long, densely fulvo-villous. Pedicels 2 mm. long, with two 

 unequal bracteoles at the base, 1-3 mm. long. Calyx-tube 1 mm. long ; 

 lobes 2'5 by 2 mm., concave, from a broad base acute. Petals ciliiite, 

 concave, broad at base, 4 by 3 mm. Stamens pluriseriate, longest + 6 mm. 

 in length. Style 6 mm. long. Ovary 1 mm. by 1'5 mm., almost superior. 

 Fruit red, capsular, rising well above the calyx-tube, of which the persistent 

 lobes spread stellately around the base. In each coccus dehiscence down the 

 centre is indicated. 



In the small vaccinioid leaves this plant is so far distinct in the genus. 

 It approaches B. aurea Ridl., collected on Mt. Carstensz, in the non- 

 petaloid lobes of the calyx, which distinguish both plants from the known 

 Australian representatives of this genus, and the 3-celled ovary, but it differs 

 in the dense pubescence of the young petioles and inflorescence, and in the 

 small axillary cymes. The structure and size of the flowers is more or less 

 identical in both species, the calyx being densely villous and the petals 

 fringed in the Arfak plant, which is quite xerophytic in habit, rather 

 recalling some species of Leptospermum. 



METROSIDEROS ARFAKENSIS Gribbs, sp. nov. 



Arbor parva, tota glabra; ramuli teretes, junioribus quatlrangularibus, cortice 

 griseo. Folia parva, opposita, petiolata, ovato-obtusa vel acutiuscula, basi sub- 

 coi-data, plana vel leviter revoluta, coriacea. Flores rubri, pedicellati, pedicellis 

 bi-bracteolatis, fasciculatis, fasciculis ex axillis foliorum delapsorum e ligno vetere 

 oriundis. Calycis tubus campanulatus, 5-lobatus, lobis rotundatis, ciliatis. Petala 5, 

 orbicularia, basi angustata, membranacea. Stamina circa 16 uniseriata. filamentis 

 glabris, rubris, antheris cordatis, nigrescentibus. Ovarium inferum, triangulare, 

 3-loculare. Stylus longus, truncatus. 



Hab. Arfak Mts., edge of forest by ? lake, 7000'. Fl. Dec. 5529. 



Tree with slender erect branches, very few showing any flowers, which 

 were only seen on the old wood. Flowering branches 3-6 mm. thick 

 with internodes very close together, the point of insertion of the flower 

 fascicles being raised. The small leaves are crowded towards the apices of 

 the branches, the largest + 2*2 cm. by 6 mm., {-land-dotted, with raised 

 midrib on both surfaces. Petiole 1*5 mm., flattened above. Flowers on 

 glandular pedicels 4 mm. long, with two gland-dotted, narrowly linear 

 bracteoles towards the base, + 2 mm. long. Calyx gland-dotted, with 

 tube 3 mm. long by 3'5 mm. broad at apex ; lobes glandular, pellucid, 

 1 mm. long by 1*5 mm. broad. Petals 2 mm. long and the same in breadth. 

 Stamens 1'3 cm. long. Anthers + 5 mm. long. Style I'l cm. long, depressed 

 in the centre of ovary, which is 1'5 mm. long with three prominent angles. 



