356 Transactions. — Botany. 



Obs. — A species pretty closely allied to S. rhizobola, Nees, but differing 

 considerably. 

 10. S. undid ata, sp. nov. 



Plant dioecious, of densely compact growth, procumbent, creeping, 

 rooting from midrib below its whole length, apices free, branches frondose, 

 1-1^ inches long, 2-3^- lines wide, forked, linear, crisp, translucent, brittle, 

 much undulated and sub-sinuate, margins entire, sub-involute, apices 

 orbicular and emarginate ; colour light green, midrib broad, dark, nerve 

 indistinct with long brown hairy rootlets below ; fructification from the 

 midrib on the upper surface, 2-3 on a branchlet at a short distance from 

 each other ; involucre large, sub-flabellate, trifid and laciniate, sometimes 

 surrounding calyptra, front and sides ; calyptra cylindric, 1^—2 lines long, 

 whitish, largely tuberculate and fimbriate, particularly at apex ; tubercles at 

 first white, succulent, soon becoming reddish-brown ; mouth laciniate ; 

 peduncle 1-li inches long, rather stout ; capsule y^th of an inch long, 

 cylindric, linear- oblong, obtuse, sub-apiculate, shining, dark purple-brown ; 

 valves cohering at apex ; spores minute, orbicular, black and tuberculated ; 

 elaters geminal ; antheridia in dense brownish linear masses, with minute 

 fimbriated perigonial leaves on the midrib upper surface, running nearly 

 the whole length of their branchlets. 



Hab. On shady sides and hollows of decomposing and damp limestone 

 rocks and cliffs, hills, at Petane, near Napier, September, 1883 : Mr. A. 

 Hamilton ; most profusely bearing fruit. 



Obs. This plant differs much in appearance from all other known in- 

 digenous species of this genus ; it often presents a very peculiar appear- 

 ance from its densely-clustered and regular manner of puckered contracted 

 growth, a patch of it extending a few inches each way without break ; at 

 such times its regular form reminds one of the thickly-compacted small in- 

 volute petals of a double Dahlia — and of the leaves of a small variety of 

 our Dichondra repens closely compacted in growth, sometimes met with in 

 patches on our dry upland heaths. It also grows over and on other fron- 

 dose and larger Hepaticce (as Marchantia), while minute Hepaticce (Junger- 

 ■mannia, sps.) often grow over it. It bears fruit plentifully — some plants, 

 or patches, bristling with capsules, while others alongside are wholly 

 barren. Some of the larger specimens resemble in habit Steetzia lyellvi. 

 A smaller and still more densely-compacted variety has also been noticed, 

 which is similar though reduced in all its parts. 

 11. S. marchantioides, sp. nov. 



Plant procumbent, creeping, of irregular shape and growth, but some- 

 what spreading out into a circular form from a centre, adhering strongly to 

 the soil ; fronds pale green with a very broad and dark midrib, 1-1 1 inches 



