340 Transactions, — Botany. 



Ordee 5. HEPATICiE. 

 Genus 3. Plagiochila, Nees and Montagne. 

 Plagiochila suhsimilis, n. sp. 



Rhizome stout, creeping, long, irregular, densely covered with short 

 brown hair, much-branched, with many long rootlets ; main stems pretty 

 close together, erect or pendulous, 6-8 inches long, flattish, sulcated on 

 back, very dark purple-brown almost black, sometimes forked below, 1-2 

 inches from base, and occasionally each of those main stems again forked ; 

 bipiunately branched, sub-fastigiate ; branches crowded above, 3-5 inches 

 from base, patent, plane, taken together 2-3 inches broad ; stems rich 

 red-brown and semi-translucent ; lowermost pair of branches opposite, 

 others sub-opposite and alternate ; all, together with main stem, closely 

 leaved throughout : leaves laxly imbricate, opposite, distichous, patent, 

 dimidiate-ovate ; apices obtuse and rotund ; light green, translucent, finely 

 and irregularly toothed ( clenticulato-ciliatis) on ventral side and round the 

 apex, dorsal side entire, slightly recurved and greatly decurrent ; those on 

 middle of main stem subrotund and lai'ger, above 1 line in length, decreas- 

 ing in size downwards, lowermost very much smaller, alternate and 1 line 

 apart, and sometimes slightly denticulate also on dorsal edge ; involucral 

 leaves more rotund, and more closely and deeply ciliate-toothed. Perianth 

 produced, 1 line long, elliptic or broadly obovate, apiculate (ohtusus cum 

 acumine), inflated, whitish-brown, semi-transparent, terminal on upper 

 branches and on short lateral branchlets near the tops ; sometimes 2-3 

 perianths very nearly together ; lips very large, open, entire. Calyptra 

 cylindrical, enclosed, half the length of the perianth; seta longer than 

 perianth, erect and nodding ; capsule exserted, free, oblong-ovate, rich deep 

 brown. 



Hab. — On standing (living) and fallen rotten trees, and on earth damp 

 sides of watercourses, " Seventy-Mile Bush " forest, head of the Manawatu 

 Kiver, Hawke's Bay; 1875-1881. Some living trees have then- trunks com- 

 pletely hidden with the dense growth of this plant. 



A fine species, having pretty close afiinity with P. stephe^isoniana and 

 P. gicjantea, and in the shape of its leaves with P. annotina; and belonging 

 to that same dendroid section of the genus. 



Genus 11. Gymnanthe, Taylor. 

 Gen. nov. Marsupidium, Mitten. 

 Gymnanthe [Marsupiditwi) hirsutum, n. sp. 



Bhizome creeping, slightly hairy. Plant thickly tufted, sending out long 

 stoloniferous succulent branches, erect, 1-2^ inches high, simple and 2-6- 

 branched, drooping at tips; colour of leaves and young stems a lively 

 green (which it retains in drying), of the short stipes, yellowish. Leaves 



