Corxxso.— Descriptions of new Indigenous Plants. 333 
so erect above and drooping below, and present a much more squarrose 
and bulky appearance. Mr. Sturm very kindly brought me a large flower- 
ing branch from his tree, that I might have good specimens for examina- 
tion and drying ; I regret, however, that while it has some hundreds of 
leaves (a perfect crown) there is not one sound unbroken leaf among them! 
The stem portion of this branch brought to me is 2 feet long, 5 inches in 
circumference at the lower end, and 6 inches a little below the leaves ; it is 
perfectly cylindrical and semi-succulent (something like a large and long 
cabbage stump), not woody, and has a smooth mottled ring, as described 
above; this branch was taken from the trunk lower down. Mr. Sturm 
further informs me that the said parent tree has annually for several years 
past produced one erect flowering panicle similar to this one (supra), only a- 
little larger, and that the tree is now giving out several young branches 
(shoots) from above under its leaves, and also shoots from its trunk in 
various places; much after the manner of the other arboreous species of 
our New Zealand Cordylines. 
I have very great pleasure in naming this plant after Mr. F. W. C. 
Sturm, its discoverer and fortunate raiser, who honourably deserves it; Mr 
. Sturm is a well-known botanist and very early energetic settler here on the 
East Coast and at Hawke’s Bay. 
Orver VII. LILIACEJE. 
Genus 5. Astelia, Banks and Solander. 
Astelia uen. sp. nov. 
Plant terrestrial, large, robust, bushy, spreading, suberect, and slightly 
drooping at tops. Leaves linear-lanceolate, very acuminate, 6} feet long, 
2 inches broad about the middle, margins flat, entire, keeled, thickish 
(particularly at the main nerves), subrigid, glabrous on both surfaces, with 
a slight adpressed white scurf below, and some long loose white hairs at 
the bases, many-nerved, with 2 strong and thick equidistant red nerves or 
ribs more than 1 line wide running throughout, very stout, and largely 
prominent on both sides ; colour light-green (and in age yellow-green), soon 
splitting and decaying at tips. Flowers in a panicle, dark green shining 
with purple segments, very fragrant, completely hidden among the leaves. 
Mate: scape 2 feet long, very stout, triquetrous, 3 inches in circumference, 
erect, 9 inches to first branch of panicle, shaggy at base, with loose white 
hairs, 2 inch long, flat, membranaceous and longitudinally veined, clothed 
above with adpressed matted hairs; panicle stout, open, subpanicles alter- 
nate, lowest with 7 branchlets, next 6, next 5, and so on, everywhere dotted 
with minute purple dots, which extend to pedicels and perianth. Flowers 
numerous, 6—7 lines diameter; on short stout bracteolate pedicels, scattered 
on angled and loosely-shaggy racemose spikes, 8-7 inches long ; bracteoles 
