330 Transactions. — Botany. 



10-15 inches long, £ inch broad, margined white, many-nerved, finely ser- 

 rulate at tips. Scape, stout, erect, 12-22 inches long, l£ line in diameter, 

 closely marked throughout (together with panicle and bases of ovaries) with 

 very fine and small longitudinal red lines, bracteated with 2 foliaceous 

 bracts nearly equidistant, lowest bract 5-7 inches long, margins of bracts 

 finely serrulated at tips. Panicle, loose, 5 inches long, bearing 12-18 

 flowers, disposed in distant sub-corymbose sub-panicles of 2-5 flowers, 

 bracts ovate acuminate ; pedicels £ inch long, each with a small scarious 

 bracteole at base. Perianth, -| inch diameter ; petals white orbicular, 4 lines 

 diameter, retuse at apex, unguiculate with a very narrow unguis, spreading, 

 slightly concave ; sepals 2 lines long, elliptic, obtuse, tufted at apex with a 

 few small spreading hairs, concave, coloured green and pink on the outside ; 

 stamens stout, connate with styles about 1 line from the base ; anthers, 

 oblong-ovate, obtuse, yellow ; styles flat, slightly channelled, spreading ; 

 stigmas, minutely penicillate. Ovary (immature) 5 lines long, triquetrous, 

 broadly obovate, truncate at apex. Seeds (mature) globular, very slightly 

 and minutely pitted. 



Hab. Dry sides of stony hills, margins of forests, between Norsewood 

 and Danneverke, Hawke's Bay district, North Island ; flowering in Novem- 

 ber ; W.C.: and, at Pohue, high hills near Petane, Napier ; Mr. A. Hamilton. 

 A species having pretty close affinity with L. ixioides and L. grandi- 

 flora, but diffei'ing in its truly orbicular petals, tufted sepals, pencilled 

 stigmas, globular seeds, and finely serrulate bracts and leaves ; it also has 

 affinity with the Australian species L. paniculata. 

 Order VII. LILIACE^h 

 Genus 3. Cordyline, Comm. 

 Cordyline diffusa, sp. nov. 



A large tufted diffuse herb. Leaves suberect and drooping, 4 feet 3 

 inches — 4 feet 6 inches long (including petiole), 2£ inches broad, lanceo- 

 late, acute, margins entire, flat or slightly revolute, striated, many-nerved 

 (40 each side of midribs), veins oblique, subcoriaceous, glabrous, midrib 

 very stout, white, wide and flat on the upper surface, green round and very 

 prominent on the lower, and vanishing several inches below apex, when 

 young membranaceous and of a pleasing green, but yellowish-green when 

 old and much torn at the tips ; petiole 8 inches long from base of con- 

 traction of the blade, very stout and clasping. Scape very stout 2£ 

 inches in circumference, somewhat triquetrous at base, angular and 

 channelled above, smooth. Panicle (several from same plant) suberect and 

 drooping, 4 feet long, including scape which is 6-7 inches long to lowest 

 branchlet), very loose lax and diffuse, broadly ovate in outline, com- 

 posed of several scattered and alternate subpanicles, 18-20 inches long, 



