4d4 Transactions. — Botany. 



excessively crowded branclilets, and narrow leaves. In the inflorescence it 

 ai^proacbes most closely to the former, but differs in the narrow involucral 

 scales with green tips, and the longer involucres. The leaves are less 

 evidently reticulate on both surfaces. 



Raoulia apice-nigra. 



A small densely-tufted plant, forming compact masses, 2-5 inches in 

 height. Leaves densely imbricated, ovate spathulate, obtuse, covered with 

 snow-white loosely appressed hairs. Heads •^"-i"long; involucral scales 

 linear with scarious margins and black tips. Pappus hairs white, scabrid 

 near the tip, but more thickened. Achenes glabrous. 



Hah: South Island — Mount Monro, Awatere, 5-600 feet, P. McBae 

 and T. Kirk. Ben Lomond, Otago, 5,500, D. Petrie. 



A singular plant : immediately before flowering the heads are black and 

 glossy, presenting a marked contrast to the snow-white leaves. It is most 

 closely allied to R. australis, from which it is distinguished by the black- 

 tipped involucral leaves. 



ScROPHULAKINEiE. 



Veronica armstrongii. 



A dwarf much-branched shrub, 1-3 feet high. Leaves minute, dimor- 

 phic. 1, linear, patent, or sub-patent tV'"!" lo^g) acute. 2, closely ap- 

 pressed, tumid and coriaceous, adnate with the branch for half their length, 

 broadly ovate, sub-acute, margins faintly ciliated. Flowers in terminal 3-8- 

 flowered heads, sessile ; sepals ovate-lanceolate with a strong median nerve 

 ciliated. Corolla tube short, limb ^'-^' in diameter, whitish. Capsule 

 ovate acuminate, longer than the sepals, sUghtly tumid and notched at the 

 apex. 



Hah: South Island — Nelson, Upper Wairau and Amuri 3-4,500 feet, 

 T. Kirk. Source of the Eangitata, 4-6,000 feet, J. F. and J. B. Armstrong, 



Our plant presents the appearance of a hybrid between V. salicornioides 

 and V. liectori, and must, I think, be considered of doubtful specific validity. 

 In its robust habit and subacute appressed leaves, it resembles F. heciori ; 

 it is more closely allied to V. salicornioides by the inflorescence and capsule, 

 as well as by the arrangement of the appressed leaves, the upper portion 

 being free and widened out, so that each pair of leaves forms a minute 

 funnel-shaped cup surrounding the branch, and presenting a curious articu- 

 lated appearance resembling some corallines. 



The appressed leaves are not constantly ciliated in any of the forms 

 belonging to this section, and in this respect vary greatly even on the same 

 branch. The same remark applies to the glandular dotting of the leaves, 

 which is characteristic of F. hectori, V. armstrongii, and F. salicornioides — at 

 least I do not find the leaves truly connate in either plant, although in close 

 contact for the length of their base* 



