334 Transactions. — Botany. 



on the tops of the spikes (in both m. and/.), much longer than their flowers ; 

 lobes of perianth closely reflexed to pedicel, large, ovate-oblong, obtuse, 

 2^ lines long, purple, finely striate, glabrous, slightly scurfy on the out- 

 siJe ; filaments robust, 2 lines long, stellate, patent, white, succulent ; 

 anthers oblong, dark brown ; bracts of subpanicles very large and spathe-like, 

 ovate-acuminate, the lowermost 40 inches long, and 3 inches wide at base, 

 largely ribbed and veined as in leaves, also thickly coloured with minute 

 purple dots, making them to appear wholly purple at their bases, and closely 

 clothed below on both sides with soft adpressed white hairs ; panicle and 

 scape weighing 17 ounces, Female : scape 15 inches long, erect and stout as 

 in male, 6 inches to lowermost subpanicle, which, however, contains but 

 6 branchlets, and so on decreasingly with the others ; panicle shorter and 

 more compact than in male (more thyrse-hke), branchlets much shorter, sub- 

 compressed and less villous, almost quite glabrous, shining and wearing a 

 subpapillose appearance, whole colour, including ovaries, a very dark green ; 

 segments of perianth very small, deltoid, obtuse, recurved, purple and striate 

 as in male, the three outer larger than the three inner and imbricating at 

 bases ; ovary subrotund, £ exserted, shining, slightly angular ; style none ; 

 stigmas 3, large, distinct, orbicular, sessile, papillose ; barren anthers very 

 small, only just appearing at bases of segments ; bracteoles purple and 

 longer than in male ; the whole female scape weighs 14 ounces, with ovaries 

 immature. 



Hab. In low wet boggy grounds, and on dry shady hillsides, in open 

 parts of the forest near Norsewood, Hawke's Bay district, North Island, 

 1876-1882 ; flowering October and November : W.C. 



Obs. — This fine plant has been long known to me in its general appear- 

 ance, having often seen it ; but never until this year did I obtain good 

 flowering specimens. The flowers, however, are completely concealed 

 within its thickly set and long bushy leaves ; in this respect differing from 

 most of the other known species of this genus. Their fragrant honey-like 

 smell (of both m. and /.) is very pleasing and lasting, and no doubt serves 

 to draw the smaller insects to them. 



Okder XL CYPEEACEJE. 

 Genus 13. Uncinia, Persoon. 

 Uncinia horizontalis, sp. nov. 



Culms 10-12 inches long, slender, smooth, triquetrous. Leaves numerous 

 shorter than the culms, 9-10 inches long, 1 line broad, flat, margins scabrid, 

 tips obtuse. Spikelets l-l£ mcn long, 2 lines broad, tristichous, upper 

 3-4 lines male ; bract, 4-7 inches long, foliaceous, very narrow (almost 

 filiform), canaliculated and nerved, margins scabrid, with very fine longitu- 

 dinal scaberulous rows running below on the nerves. Glumes 3 lines long, 



