Colenso. — 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 



3 inches to 2 feet 6 inches long, 1^-lf 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 aj>art, each with a very long sessile foliaceous bract sub-ovate- 

 acuminate, half-clasping, not cordate, 16-18 inches long, l|-lf 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, 

 l-§ 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 3 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 inch 

 diameter ; segments cut to base, 4 lines long, shorter than anthers, deflexed, 

 sub-linear-ovate, obtuse ; outer 3, 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. 



