Apparently a distinct species. It was raised at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh, from seeds sent from New Zealand, but from what locality is not stated. Its nearest ally is probably V. Traversii, from which it differs in the smaller leaves with red-brown margins, in the usually longer racemes, in the much larger violet (not white) flowers, in the longer acute sepals, which almost equal the short corolla-tube, and in the shorter and broader capsule. I have seen no specimens, and have consequently reproduced the original description.
30. V. Darwiniana, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxv. (1893) 332.—A small compact rounded shrub; branches numerous, terete, glabrous or the younger ones faintly pubescent; bark brownish-green. Leaves rather laxly placed, decussate, sessile or nearly so, horizontally spreading, ½–¾ in. long, ⅙—⅓ in. broad, ovate-lanceolate or narrow elliptic-oblong, acute, rather thick and coriaceous, glaucous on both surfaces, slightly concave above, not keeled beneath; margins entire, minutely ciliolate when young. Racemes 2–4 near the tips of the branches, ¾–1½ in. long, dense-flowered, tapering to the tip; rhachis, pedicels, and bracts pubescent; pedicels about as long as the calyx or shorter. Flowers white. ¼ in. diam. Calyx 4-partite; segments broadly ovate, obtuse or subacute. Corolla-tube short and broad, about as long as the calyx, throat pubescent within; lobes longer than the tube, broadly oblong, obtuse. Ovary pubescent or glabrous. Capsule ovate, acute, compressed, more than twice as long as the calyx. V. glaucophylla, Cockayne in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1899) 422.
North Island: Hawke's Bay—Hills in the interior. Colenso! South Island: Nelson—Mountains behind Hamner, Cockayne! Canterbury—Craigieburn Mountains, Cockayne!
This is probably nearer to some of the forms included under V. Traversii than to any other, but can be separated by the more distant not keeled glaucus leaves, tapering racemes, and short corolla-tube hairy in the throat. Mr. Cockayne's plant has rather smaller and narrower leaves than Colenso's type, but otherwise there is little difference between them.
31. V. Traversii, Hook f. Handb. NZ. Fl. 208 (in part)—A small perfectly glabrous shrub, usually forming a round compact bush 2–5 ft. diam; branches terete, densely clothed with decussate leaves. Leaves spreading, petiolate or subsessile, uniform in size and shape, ½–1 in. long, ⅙–⅓ in. broad, elliptic-oblong or elliptic-lanceolate to linear-oblong, acute or subacute, usually narrowed to an acute base, coriaceous, channelled above, more or less keeled beneath, nerveless, margins entire, midrib usually strong. Racemes near the tips of the branches, 1–3 in. long and tapering or short and obtuse, simple, many-flowered; rachis slender, puberulous; pedicels variable in length; bracts small. Flowers white, ¼ in. diam. Calyx 4-partite; segments broadly oblong or ovate, obtuse, margins often membranous, ciliolate. Corolla-tube from slightly longer to nearly twice as long as the calyx; limb 4-lobed;
