250 Transactions. — Botany. 



Obs. I have both sought and watched this plant very closely ; from the 

 fact of its widely different general appearance at all stages from T. nemoralis, 

 and yet, on examination and dissection, I find it possessing such scanty 

 differential characters ; the principal ones consisting in its plumose stamin- 

 odia rising above the tip of the column — its narrower and variegated sepals 

 — its slenderer proportions, dusky aspect and fewer flowers. In all these 

 however it is very uniform ; as I have seen and examined (through patiently 

 waiting for their development) some scores of flowers and plants. It has 

 also a peculiar habit of growth, being often found in little clumps (like 

 crocuses and jonquils), from which arise 6-12 scapes. It wears a very 

 striking and elegant appearance, when its dark perianths with their seg- 

 ments edged with white are about expanding, from their contrasts in colour. 

 Notwithstanding the column-appendages being produced beyond its tip, 

 while in T. nemoralis they are below it, this species is naturally very closely 

 allied to that one. 



Ordek VII. LILIACE^. 

 G-enus 2. Callixene, Comm. 

 1. Callixene melantha, sp. nov. 



Perianth darkish-green, 1 J inches diameter ; segments obtuse, 3 outer 

 ovate-acuminate, thickish, obsoletely veined longitudinally ; 3 inner narrower 

 and thinner, broadly-linear, incurved, venation netted ; filaments brown, 

 stout, broad at base, longer than anthers ; anthers bright yellow, sub-linear- 

 ovate, 3 lines long, tips emarginate, base sagittate, extrorse ; style brown, 

 sub-angular, tapering ; stigma ochraceous, small, papillose. 



Hah. East sides of Euahine mountain range, County of Waipawa ; 

 1883 : Mr. Hamilton. 



Obs. I. The anthers and stigma of this species more closely resemble 

 ^hose of C. polyphylla (a South Chilian plant) than they do those of C. parvi- 

 fiora, the only known New Zealand species. 



Obs. II. I have received but a single unexpanded flower ! all that was 

 by chance obtained ; fortunately it was mature, uninjured, and fresh. It 

 appears that Mr. Hamilton, on his return from the forests, was clearing out 

 some mosses, leaves, etc., from the outer pockets of his coat, and found 

 among them this one flower-bud (alabastrum), and kindly gave it to me. 

 For some time it puzzled me, its dark green colour, so unlike that of 

 a flower, and its being closely shut up, helped to disguise it ; it more 

 resembled a caper bud than anything else; but on soaking, dissection, etc., 

 I found out what it Was, and believe it will prove to be a new species of 

 Callixene. It is allied to C. parvifiora, which bears a much smaller and 

 white flower and has a very different stigma ; this latter, however, grows on 

 the same range at a much higher altitude. 



