T. KiEK, — On new Flowering Plants. 395 



with its base ; the al^ are almost equal to the vexillum in length, but rather 

 narrow ; the carina is sharply curved, both segments being coherent for 

 their entire length. The flowers appear to be of a lurid red colour similar 

 to those of C\ nana. 



I am indebted to the Venerable Ar-chdeacon W. L. Williams for speci- 

 mens of this and other rarities ; it affords me especial pleasure to associate 

 his name with so fine a plant as a mark of appreciation of the unobtrusive 

 services he has for many years rendered to botanical science in this colony. 



Composite. 

 Senecio compactus. 



A much-branched compact shrub rarely more than 2 feet high. Branches 

 stout, erect, and with the under-surface of the leaves, pedicels, and involu- 

 cres densely covered with appressed white tomentum, forming a smooth 

 surface. Leaves petioled, ascending, f"-J" long, ovate or obovate, obtuse, 

 minutely waved at the margin, crenulate. Flowers in leafy 4-8-flowered 

 racemes, termmal and solitary, or axillary and crowded near the ends of 

 the branches : less frequently the heads are solitary and terminal. Heads 

 broadly ovate in bud, f"-l" in diameter, broadly campanulate, pedicels ^" 

 long, involucral leaves, linear, obtuse cottony ; receptacle flat, rays spread- 

 ing broad. Achenes furrowed, silky, pappus white. 



Hab. — North Island : Castle Point, East Coast, on limestone rocks, 

 descending to sea-level. This handsome species is remarkable for its dwarf 

 compact habit, although rarely exceeding 2 feet in height it attains a dia- 

 meter of from 3 to 6 feet, and as nearly all its crowded branchlets are 

 terminated by flowers it presents a most attractive appearance. 



Its nearest ally is the alpine S. vmnroi, Hook, f., which is found at an 

 elevation of from 1500 to 4000 feet in the north-eastern portion of the 

 South Island ; in sheltered places attaining the height of from 6 to 10 feet. 

 It differs from the present species in the very small receptacle, turbinate 

 heads, slender pedicels, glandular paniculate inflorescence, narrow mem- 

 branous involucral scales, longer narrow spreading leaves, and slender 

 habit. 



In S. compactus the inflorescence is never glandular, nor paniculate ; 

 the receptacle is much larger than 8. mmiroi, and the rays are twice the 

 vsddth. The tomentum, also, is much more copious, and milk white ; at 

 once attracting attention to the plant, which is not the case with S. munroi. 

 The leaves of the latter are evidently reticulated beneath, which is not the 

 case with S. compactus, in which the tomentum presents a smooth even 

 surface. 



This species attains its maximum of flowering about the middle of 

 February, but a few flowers are produced nearly all the year round. I first 

 observed it during the winter of 1877. 



