Kirx.—On the New Zealand Lepidia. 879 
Triodia exigua occurs in great abundance in the Broken River Basin, and 
on the Waimakariri terraces, forming a close sward to the exclusion of all 
other grasses. Its red anthers, as I learn from Mr. Enys, give a perceptible 
tinge to the pasturage, which catches the eye when riding. Nearly all 
specimens in this locality have the panicle reduced to a single spikelet. 
Some of Mr. Petrie’s specimens are more robust and exhibit two spikelets, 
the second, however, being often imperfect. Mr. Enys informs me that 
horses especially are very fond of it, notwithstanding its dwarf habit. 
Danthonia pauciflora of Brown is a more robust grass with keeled leaves 
and culms with sub-erect or drooping many-flowered panicles which are 
usually more or less branched, while the flowering glume is never three 
toothed and the lodicules are never ciliated as in our plant. It has not 
been observed in New Zealand. 
Atropis pumila, 0 
A slender, tufted grass, 2'-8" high. haar - ‘long, spreading, filiform 
involute, with a minute pencil of hairs at the mouth of the sheath. Sheath 
with a few loose hairs at the base. Culms erect, extremely slender, leafy for 
es one half their length. Panicle strict, linear-oblong, rarely exceeding 
"in length, simple, or with one or two short branchlets at the base. 
“acer on short capillary pedicels, minute, 2-3-flowered. Outer glumes 
Unequal, obtuse ; flowering glume convex, obtuse, 5-nerved ; nerves faint ; 
Palea, ciliolate at the apex; Caryopsis oblong, free. 
Hab.—South Island: common in Otago from 2,000 to 8,000 feet— 
D. Petrie, 
I am indebted to Mr. Petrie for specimens of this grass, which adds 
another genus to our flora. It resembles some forms of Danthonia nuda, 
but its nearest ally amongst New Zealand grasses is Glyceria stricta, Sm, 
* 
Azr. LVIII.—A Revision of the New Zealand Lepidia, with Descriptions of 
new Species. By T. Kix, F.L.S. 
[Received by the Wellington Philosophical Society, 13th March, 1882.|* 
1. a oleraceum, Forst. 
A. Rich., Flore de la Nouvelle Zelande, t. 35. 
Hook. £, Fl. N.Z., i., 15; Handb. N.Z. Flora, 14. 
- Hab.—In sheltered places near the sea, North Island, South ties, 
Stewart Island, Auckland Islands ( Bolton). 
ae ge ene ee ag 1 Meeti 12th Feb 
; ag, +26 
