Colenso. — On the Botany of New Zealand. 335 



green ; petioles white, semi-transparent, flat. Scape 2-3^ inches high, 

 simple, filiform ; flowers 1 (sometimes, but rarely, 2, only one such specimen 

 seen), pedicels very slender, about \ line long, bracts at top of scape 5, ovate- 

 acuminate ; sepals large, inflated, sub-orbicular in outline, the upper one 

 very slightly sinuate, margins entire ; corolla purple, strongly-veined, 3-4 

 lines diameter, upper lip small, cuneate, retuse, the lower one somewhat 

 circular in outline (i.e., presenting the broad segment of a circle), entire. 



Hab. " In swampy grounds at Tapuaeharuru," interior (Taupo dis- 

 trict), 1880: Mr. A. Hamilton. 



Obs. — This species seems to have some slight affinity with U. lateriflora, 

 Br., a Tasmanian species. Some allowance will have to be made for my 

 description of the corolla of this plant, as I find it almost an impossibility 

 to dissect it satisfactorily when in a dried state, particularly when the 

 specimens have been closely pressed. 



Okder LXX. CUPULIFEEiE. 

 Genus 1. Fagus, Linn. 

 Fagus apiculata, sp. nov. 



A tall handsome tree, 40 feet (and more) high, erect, of symmetrical 

 shape ; trunk 2 feet diameter ; bark of trunk pale, smoothish ; branches 

 opposite, regular, horizontal, plane, spreading, bark darkish brown, 

 studded with lighter coloured spots ; branchlets pubescent. Leaves 

 not crowded, rather distant, regularly disposed, sub-membranaceous, 

 glabrous, broadly oblong-lanceolate, 1 inch long, entire, minutely crenu- 

 late, finely reticulated, margined, strongly apiculate, the point hard, 

 obtuse, petiolate, slightly and finely pubescent on petioles and beneath ; 

 colour light-green; petioles 1-1£ lines long; bracts, outer glabrous, brown, 

 shining, ovate-acuminate,— inner green, narrower and longer, obtuse, with 

 scarious and ciliate edges. Male flowers lateral, on smaller slender branch- 

 lets, single, alternate, 2-4 (or more) near each other ; peduncle slender, 

 2-2J lines long, red, glabrous, or with a few weak scattered hairs ; perianth 

 cup-shaped, inflated, glabrous, whitish with pink margin, semi-pellucid, 

 veined, largely 5-toothed, teeth obtuse ; anthers 12-14, linear-oblong, apicu- 

 late, loosely exserted on long flat slender filaments, nodding. Female 

 flowers (immature), small, axillary, sessile in axil of leaf above the male 

 flowers, ovate, downy ; styles brown, exserted. 



Hab. In forests between Matamau and Danneverke, County of Wai- 

 pawa, 1883 : W.G. 



Obs. — The discovery of this very distinct species of Fagus has much 

 pleased me, as it supplies a required link between our known New Zealand 

 species with large serrated leaves (F. fusca and F. menziesii) and our small 

 entire leaved species (F. solandri and F. cliff ortioides), and also between 



