208 



carefully to check his conclusions. I have been induced to refer particularly 

 to this by the fact that I find one shrub, Melicope simjiilex — not at all uncommon 

 about Dunedin — marked by Mr. Buchanan with the figure which indicates 

 "the mere occurrence of a few individuals of the species." If his catalogue 

 were carefully analysed by every naturalist in the proviiace, it can hardly be 

 doubted that information on all the points I have referred to in this paper 

 would be forthcoming. I do not think that the Institute, in the first year of 

 its existence, could more usefully promote this one amongst the studies which 

 it has taken under its wing, than by collecting such information and placing 

 it at the disposal of Mr. Buchanan, for the purpose of publishing, under the 

 auspices of the Institute, a revised edition of his valuable essay and catalogue. 



Art. XXXIII. — On some New S-pecies and Varieties of New Zealand Plants. 

 By John Buchanan, of the Geological Survey Department. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, June 15, 1870.] 



On a sup>p>osed Hybridj Acfena. 



An apparent Hybrid Accena has been observed in the neighbourhood of 

 Wellington, partaking the characters of Accena Sanguisorhai, an indigenous 

 species, and Accena ovincc, an introduced species from Australia, both found in 

 the same locality. 



The first of these having the flowers in globose heads, is constant to this 

 character over New Zealand, whilst the Australian species has the flowers 

 arranged in long obovate spikes. 



The supposed hybrid shows below the globose heads several small clusters 

 of flowers, axillary to bracts on the peduncle, thus becoming an intermediate 

 form. 



If the theory of hybridization prove unsuitable, this form must be accepted 

 as a recent variation from Accencc Sanguisorhce, as it has not been noticed 

 previously ; the presence of the two species on the same spot is, however, a 

 remarkable coincidence. 



Collected by J. Buchanan, on Mount Victoria, Wellington. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophiccd Society, October 12, 1870.] 

 Dichondra hrevifolia, Buchanan, n. s. 



A small minute-leaved, creeping, tufted, glabrous herb. Leaves shortly 

 petiolate, reniform, ^ inch broad, entire, glabrous. Scapes 1 inch long, 

 pubescent or glabrous, four times longer than the leaves. Flowers solitary ; corolla 



