426 Transactions.— Botany. 
pollen grains forming them are bound together into small wedge-shaped 
masses. The flowers are somewhat sweet-scented, and though dull-coloured 
are tolerably conspicuous, but there appears to be no trace of a nectary. 
Nor from the position of the parts is it very probable that an insect could 
remove the pollinia, so as to place the loose, incoherent grains on the 
stigma of another flower. The species is evidently well fitted for self- 
fertilization. In nine spikes examined by me, containing altogether 75 
open flowers, only four appeared to have the pollinia partially removed, 
and, even in these, pollen grains were adhering to the stigma and anthers. 
Imperfect as the foregoing notes are, they still point to the correctness 
of the general principle that where it is advantageous to a plant to have its 
flowers cross-fertilized by pollen from another plant, there we find agencies 
for attracting suitable insects. Thus Farina has conspicuous flowers, sweet 
scent, and succulent tissue at the base of the flower; Dendrobium has showy 
flowers and a tolerably perfect nectary ; while Corysanthes has conspicuous 
flowers and sweet juice. In all three, assistance from insects appears to be 
absolutely necessary. Again, Caladenia, which appears to be fitted for both 
means of fertilization, has tolerably conspicuous flowers, while Microtis, 
which is similarly favoured, has the rudiments of a nectary, but the former 
would seem to be more dependent on insect aid than the latter. In Ptero- 
stylis there seems to be nothing to attract insects, as the flowers are green, 
and, as pointed out by Mr. Cheeseman, do not appear to secrete any nectar, 
nor do they have any decided scent. Yet in none of the New Zealand 
orchids are the appliances to secure the desired end so perfect or so complex. 
In this plant only one species of insect appears adapted to each particular 
species of the genus. It would be interesting to discover whether this 
applies to other New Zealand genera. In those genera which are almost, 
if not altogether, exclusively self-fertilized, no special provision for attracting 
insects occurs, if we except the handsome perianth of TAelymitra. 
Art. LXII.—Description of a new Species of Coprosma, 
By D. Perrm, M.A. 
[Read before the Otago Institute, 8th October, 1878.] 
Coprosma virescens, Petrie. 
A compact shrub, six to ten feet high, with numerous interlaced, slender, 
tortuous branches and twigs and greenish glabrous bark; leaves glabrous, 
membranous, elliptico-spathulate, quarter of an inch long or less, in 
tichous fascicles on the twigs; stipules connate, forming a short two- 
lobed tube around the twigs, 
