KiEK. — On the Keiv Zealand Lepidia. 379 



Triodia exigua occurs in great abundance in the Broken Eiver Basin, and 

 on the Waimakariri terraces, forming a close sward to the exclusion of all 

 other grasses. Its red anthers, as I learn from Mr. Enys, give a perceptible 

 tinge to the pasturage, which catches the eye when riding. Nearly all the 

 specimens in this locality have the panicle reduced to a single spikelet. 

 Some of Mr. Petrie's specimens are more robust and exhibit two spikelets, 

 the second, however, being often imperfect. Mr. Enys informs me that 

 horses especially are very fond of it, notwithstanding its dwarf habit. 



Vanthonia i^aucifiora of Brown is a more robust grass with keeled leaves 

 and culms with sub-erect or drooping many-flowered panicles which are 

 usually more or less branched, while the flowering glume is never three 

 toothed and the lodicules are never ciliated as in our plant. It has not 

 been observed in New Zealand. 



Atropis puviila, n.s. 

 A slender, tufted grass, 2"-8" high. Leaves l"-2" long, spreading, filiform, 

 involute, with a minute pencil of hairs at the mouth of the sheath. Sheath 

 with a few loose hau's at the base. Culms erect, extremely slender, leafy for 

 over one half their length. Panicle strict, hnear-oblong, rarely exceeding 

 1" in length, simple, or with one or two short branchlets at the base. 

 Spikelets on short capillary pedicels, minute, 2-3-flowered. Outer glumes 

 unequal, obtuse ; flowering glume convex, obtuse, 6-nerved ; nerves faint ; 

 palea ciliolate at the apex; Caryopsis oblong, free. 



Hob. — South Island : common in Otago from 2,000 to 3,000 feet — 

 D. Petrie, 



I am indebted to Mr. Petrie for specimens of this grass, which adds 

 another genus to our flora. It resembles some forms of Danthonia nuda, 

 but its nearest ally amongst New Zealand grasses is Glyceria stiicta, Sm. 



Aet. LVIII. — A Revision of the New Zealand Lepidia, with Descriptions of 



neiv Species. By T. Kikk, F.L.S. 



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



1. Lejndiimi oleraceum, Forst. 



A. Eich., Flore de la Nouvelle Zelande, t. 35. 



Hook, f., Fl. N.Z., i., 15 ; Handb. N.Z. Flora, 14. 

 Hab. — In sheltered places near the sea, North Island, South Island, 

 Stewart Island, Auckland Islands f Bolton). 



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



