For the first discovery of Thelymitra longifolia we have to go as far back as October, 1769, when it was gathered at Tolaga Bay by Banks and Solander during Cook's first voyage. Solander, in his manuscript "Primitæ Floræ Novæ Zelandiæ" described it under the name of Serapias regularis; but as this work was never actually published his names have no standing in botanical literature.

It was also collected by the two Forsters in Cook's second voyage, but in what locality is not stated, although it must have been either in Queen Charlotte Sound or Dusky Bay. After their return it was published in their "Characteres Generum Plantarum" under the name it bears at the present time.

It has been observed by almost all subsequent botanists, and is now known to range from the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards to Stewart Island and the Auckland Islands.

It is common at sea-level, and ascends the mountains to a height of over 4,000 ft. Although mainly a heath-plant, and nowhere more abundant than on the Leptospermum-clad hills that form such a large percentage of the northern part of the North Island, it is really found in all soils and situations, with the exception that it does not occur in dense forests, although occasionally seen in light bush.

When it is mentioned that in addition to lowland heaths it is also plentiful on sand-dunes, ledges on seacliffs, the margins of swamps, subalpine meadows, &c., it will be seen that its range of habitats is remarkably wide.

It is said to have an extensive range in Australia; but the specimens I have seen from thence hardly match those from New Zealand, and if really belonging to the same species should be treated as a different variety. It has also been recorded from New Caledonia.

T. longifolia falls into a section of the genus known as Cucullaria, in which the column-wing is produced behind the anther, and overtops it in the form of a hood-shaped projection furnished with lateral lobes.

It is distinguished from the other species of the section by the very large middle lobe of the column-wing, which forms a smooth rounded hood projecting over the anther, and which considerably overtops the lateral lobes, which are closely and densely ciliate at their tips. In the allied species of the section the lateral lobes are longer than the middle lobe, which does not form such a prominent hood.

It is very variable in size, stoutness, and number of flowers, varying from less than 6 in. in height, with a single small flower, to 18 in. or 20 in., with twelve to fifteen large flowers. The colour of the flowers is mainly white, with a greenish-purple tinge on the back of the three outer perianth-segments; but some varieties have blue flowers, and others pinkish-red.

For an account of the fertilization, see a paper by myself in the "Transactions of the New Zealand Institute" (vol. xiii (1881) 291).

Thelymitra pulchella was originally discovered by Mr. Colenso in the North Island, but I am ignorant of the exact locality. It was first published by Sir J. D. Hooker in the "Flora Novae Zelandiae"; but Hooker bracketed with Colenso's plant some specimens collected by Lyall in Otago; and in the "Handbook" he also included a plant gathered by Sir D. Monro in the Nelson Provincial District.

But although I have examined a great number of Thelymitræ from the South Island I have found none with the characters of T. pulchella, and am inclined to doubt the occurrence of the species to the south of Cook Strait. In fact, I have not seen undoubted specimens of T. pulchella from the south of the Waikato River.

North of Auckland it is common on Leptospermum-clad hills, often associated with T. longifolia, and is particularly abundant between the Bay of Islands and the North Cape. I have not seen it at a greater elevation than 800 ft.

T. pulchella belongs to the section Macdonaldia, in which the column wing extends behind the anther, but is shorter than it, and is not hood-shaped; and the lateral lobes, though often toothed or fimbriate, do not possess the dense tufts of cilia so obvious in the section Cucullaria (compare figs. 1 and 9 of the accompanying plate).

It is one of the handsomest of the New Zealand species, from the large size of the blue-purple flowers, which are often an inch in diameter or even more.

The centre of distribution of the genus Thelymitra is in Australia, from whence thirty species are known. New Zealand contains eleven, and additional species will be recorded. As already stated, the New Zealand and Australian T. longifolia (or an allied form) occurs in New Caledonia, and there is an outlying species (T. javannica, Blume) in Java.