observed to be fragrant. On the other hand, it agrees with V. elliptica in habit, in the shape of the leaves, in the crowded terminal racemes, and in the large white fragrant flowers, differing mainly in the smaller size and more rigid concave leaves. Mr. N. E. Brown, who has kindly examined the types for me, states that the plant is quite distinct from V. buxifolia, and in his opinion should be regarded as a distinct species endemic in the Auckland Islands.
28. V. Matthewsii, Cheesem. n. sp.—An erect glabrous shrub 2–4 ft. high or more; branches stout, terete, often purplish-red when young. Leaves close-set, sessile, suberect or spreading, ¾–1½ in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, oblong or elliptic-oblong, obtuse or subacute, rounded at the base, thick and coriaceous, flat, quite entire. Racemes near the tips of the branches or rarely lateral, large, 2–4 in. long including the stout naked peduncle, obtuse or tapering, densely many-flowered; rhachis stout, pubescent; pedicels very short, stout; bracts ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or obtuse. Flowers large, ¼–⅓ in. diam. or more, white or purplish. Calyx deeply 4-partite; segments oblong or oblong-ovate, obtuse, often with purplish margins. Corolla-tube twice as long as the calyx; limb spreading, 4-lobed; lobes subequal, broadly oblong, rounded at the tip. Ovary pubescent at the tip. Capsule ¼ in. long, elliptic-oblong, obtuse or subacute, about twice as long as the calyx.
South Island: Canterbury—Southern Alps, Haast! Armstrong! Otago—Milford Sound, Enys! Humboldt Mountains, H. J. Matthews!
A handsome plant, often cultivated in gardens in the South Island as a variety of V. Traversii, but a much stouter plant with a different habit of growth, and with thicker and more coriaceous oblong obtuse leaves, and larger and stouter racemes with much larger flowers. It is nearer to V. Balfouriana, but that species has smaller leaves, acute calyx-segments, and a corolla-tube hardly longer than the calyx.
29. V. Balfouriana, Hook. f. Bot. Mag. t. 7556.—"An erect glabrous shrub 3 ft. high, with dark-brown bark and suberect flexuous purplish-brown or reddish branches. Leaves subsessile, ⅓–¾ in. long, in loosely approximate pairs, spreading and decurved, elliptic-ovate, obtuse or subacute, quite entire, coriaceous, bright pale-green and shining above, with narrow red-brown margins. Racemes opposite, axillary from the base of the last year's shoots, 2–3 in. long, erecto-patent, very many-flowered, peduncle stout, flowers crowded; pedicels about as long as the calyx, puberulous; bracts ovate, obtuse or acute, about as long as the pedicel. Sepals about ⅙ in. long, acute, ciliolate. Corolla pale violet-blue, ½ in. diam., tube as long as the sepals; lobes rounded, three upper subequal, the lower narrower. Stamens as long as the corolla-lobes or shorter; anthers red-brown, bases of cells rounded. Capsule ellipsoid, about one-third longer than the sepals or less."
