378 Trmisaciions, — Botany. 



Santalum cunninghmnii , from the close similarity of its foliage to Olea 

 montana and 0. lanceolata, is often mistaken for them in districts where it is 

 plentiful, but a cursory examination of the flowers or fruit is sufficient to 

 prevent the error. On the other hand, Olea cunninghamii is the Santalum 

 cunninghamii of Buchanan's list of "Wellington plants, and its wood has been 

 distributed from the Colonial Museum under the name of Santalum. It is, 

 however, very rarely that sandalwood forms a trunk of 9" in diameter ; most 

 frequently it is no thicker than a man's wrist, and south of the Taupo 

 district it is usually reduced to a mere bush, 5 or 6 feet in height. 

 The following key to the species of Olea may be found useful : — 



A. Leaves rough. 

 1. 'Leaves oblong or elliptic acuminate, racemes glabrous . . 0. apetala. 



2. ,, lanceolate, racemes tomentose .. .. .. .. 0. cunninghamii. 



B. Leaves smooth. 



3. Leaves lanceolate acuminate, perianth segments linear, acute 0. lanceolata. 



4. Leaves linear lanceolate, perianth segments broad, obtuse . . O. montana. 



Art LVII. — Notice of the Occurrence of Triodia and Atropis in Neiv Zealand 

 ivith Descriptions of new Species. By T. Ejrk, P.L.S. 



[Received by the Wellington PhUosophical Society, 13th March, 1882.] * 



Triodia exigua, n.s. 



Dantltonia pa^icijiora, Buchanan, Grasses of N.Z., t. xxxvi. B., not of R. Broivn. 

 A SMALL grass forming a compact swart, root creeping, leaves tufted 1" 

 long, filiform, rigid, involute, pungent, glabrous, mouth of sheath clothed 

 with a minute pencil of hairs, ligule 0. Culms l"-2" high, slender, naked 

 above. Panicle reduced to a single spikelet, or rarely two when the lower 

 spikelet is pedicellate. Spikelets 2-3-flowered, empty glumes longer than 

 the flowering, obtuse, flowering glumes 3-toothed at the apex, ciliate, nerved. 

 Palea notched at apex. Caryopsis free. 



Hab. — South Island : Broken Eiver Basin, Canterbury, on terraces, 

 2,500-3000 feet; terraces of the Upper Waimakariri, 1,600-2,500 feet; 

 Mount St. Bathans, Otago — D. Petrie. 



Mr. Enys and myself collected a few specimens of this grass several 

 years ago, but as the specimens were far advanced, little more than the 

 outer glume remaining, it was not possible to make out its affinities. Last 

 year Mr. Enys visited the locality and kindly sent me a supply of good 

 specimens. I am also indebted to Mr. Petrie for good specimens from 

 Otago. In his "Indigenous Grasses of New Zealand " Mr. Buchanan has 

 wrongly referred Mr. Petrie's plant to DantJionia pauciflora, but it is clearly 

 a Triodia. 



* Title read at Annual Meeting, 12th February, 1881. 



