Oorxxso.— Descriptions of new Indigenous Plants. 251 
Genus 5. Astelia, Banks and Solander. 
1. Astelia microspermum, sp. nov. 
Leaves coriaceous, sub-linear-ovate, lanceolate, very acuminate, 2 feet 
8 inches to 2 feet 6 inches long, 14-13 inches wide at the broadest 
part above, rather suddenly and much dilated at base and there 
4 inches wide and greatly overlapping and triquetrous, light yellowish- 
green, glabrous and shining particularly at bases, but the innermost 
leaves have a narrow band of white hairs at their bases on the out- 
sides, the extreme base somewhat fleshy and succulent, gummy, with 
a white transverse band 1 inch wide, above that it is black for 2 inches 
or more; under a strong lens the surface below is closely cottony ap- 
pressed in minute squares, sub-incurved, deeply channelled, slightly keeled 
below in the centre of the leaf but not so at base, 2 prominent and stout 
nerves equidistant from midrib, with many finer nerves ; offshoots around 
the base of scape sharply triangular. Female scape terminal very stout, 
sub-triquetrous, 9 inches long, densely clothed throughout with white silky 
hairs that are very long at base; panicle nodding, 6-7 inches long, com- 
posed of seven slender sub-sessile racemes 4-6 inches long and about 
1 inch apart, each with a very long sessile foliaceous bract sub-ovate- 
acuminate, half-clasping, not cordate, 16-18 inches long, 11-14 inches 
wide at base; flowers very small, about 1 line long, excessively 
numerous, compact, light yellow ; pedicels sub-fascicled, 2 lines long, 
slender, woolly ; bracteoles linear, 2 lines long, white with a brown central 
stripe; perianths woolly on the outside, closely embracing ovary, 
and nerved below to anthers; segments sub-linear-ovate, obtuse, re- 
flexed, nerveless; ovary ovate, half or more exserted; stigma sessile, 
spreading, trilobed, papillose ; anthers linear, very slender. Fruit small, 
14 lines diameter, sub-globular, somewhat obtusely triquetrous, with a long 
produced sub-angular beak, greenish ; seeds very small, 14-18 in a berry, 
black, shining, sub-lanceolate, convex above flattish below, produced at one 
end. Male (whole scape not seen), sub-peduncle thickish, obtuse, cylin- 
drical, single raceme 8 inches long, 10 lines wide; flowers light brown, 
densely compact, sub-fasciculate, pedicelled ; pedicels 2-3 lines long, 
stoutish, shaggy, with an excessively narrow linear bracteole near the base, — 
longer than pedicel and nerved; perianth large spreading, about 1 ine. 
diameter; segments cut to base, 4 lines long, shorter than anthers, deflexed, 
sub-linear-ovate, obtuse; outer 8, broader, 3-nerved, tips woolly on the 
outside; inner 3, 1-nerved, tips thickened ; filaments 3 lines long, stout, 
cylindrical; anthers 2 lines long, linear, obtuse, largely hastate; ovary 
small, sub-triquetrous, spotted white; stigma sessile, tri-orbicular, finely 
papillose. : 
