Art. XLV.—Memorandum of a few New Species of Hepaticæ lately detected in the Seventy-mile Bush District; as kindly determined by Dr. F. Stephani, of Berlin.

By W. Colenso, F.R.S., F.L.S. (Lond.), &c.

[Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 28th November, 1892.]

In forwarding to Kew the Fungi mentioned in the preceding paper, I also sent a lot of Hepaticœ that I had collected at various times and seasons with them. These were put by the Director at Kew into Dr. Stephani's hands for examination and determination, as on a former occasion;^* and I have recently received from Kew a list of them (but without description), and also a long enumeration of many others sent with them that have been already described in the “Handbook of the New Zealand Flora,” in several volumes of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, and also in some modern European works.

The species really new to science are only four, while five others that were known have now been found in New Zealand; there were also a few others that were barren or too imperfect to be named, and many that (according to Dr. Stephani) were very fine and interesting.

Moreover, Dr. Stephani's remarks (of several species)—“There have been two forms sent of very different appearance, the normal one growing in places exposed to sunlight, stout and tough very dark, in a dry state almost black and horny, lobules large; while a common variety growing in dark forests is flaccid quite green, lobules small,” &c.—are worthy of being copied here.

I.Species novœ:–

• Symphyogyna subpetiolata.

• Aneura papulosa.

• Anthoceros arachnoideus.

• Lophocolea erectifolia.

II.Species already known, but hitherto not from New Zealand:–

• Metzgeria crassicostata, St.

• Lepidozia quadrifida, Ldbg.

• Bazzania mittenii, St.

• Balantiopsis diplophylla, Mitt.

• Porella stangeri, L. et G.