N at. Obd . X L FU ANK EN IAC EÆ .
The p lants o f th is Order are native s o f th e shores o f many extratropical countries, bo th in th e Northern
and Southern Hemisphe re . A b o u t ten t o twe lve species are known, almost all b e lo n g in g to th e g en u s Fran-
henia. S ix or e ig h t are native s o f th e Australian coasts, chiefly tlie western, b u t them lim its have n o t been
determined ; v e iy probably one or more are European. T h e affinities o f th e Order are considered to be
with Caryophylleæ, to wb ich th ey appear allied in habit, in th e scale upon the limb o f th e petals, and some
other p oints. Th ey are also a llied to Violarieæ.
G en . I . E R A N K E N IA , L .
S ep a la 4 - 5 , in tubum costatum coalita. F e ta la 5 , u nguiculata. S tam in a 4 - 6 , h ypogyna. Ovarium
]-lo cu la r e , e carpidiis 2 - 3 fo rmatum; o vu lis numerosis parietalibus, fu n icu lis e longatis. Capsula 2 - 4 -
valvis. Semina plurima, ascendentia, scabra.
Herbs or smaR shnibs.— Stetns terete. Leaves opposite, often cuneate, whorled or fascicled, exstipulate.
Flowers at tbe apices or between tbe forks of the branches, sessRe, white or pink, rarely violet. Sepals four or
five, erect, connate into a narrow furrowed tube, persistent. Petals as many, with long, narrow, erect claws and
spreading limb; a scale is often placed at the base of the limb. Stamens four to six, hypogynous. Filaments
slender. Anilters rounded. Ovary solitary, free, of two to four combined carpels, with as many styles (combined
below), aud oblong or capitate stigmata. Ovules many, on marginal placentæ at the junction o f the cai-pcls, whicli
are produced towards the axis. one-ceRed, tw o - to four-valved. Seeds ascending, ovate ; testa scabrous;
unibilicus basal ; raphe filiform ; chalaza thickened. Albumen, mealy. E m h yo orthotropons, axile, as long as tlie
seed ; radicle veiy short ; cotyledons ovate-oblong. (Named in honour of John Franken, a Professor o f Medicine
at Upsal.)
1 . F r a n k e n i a p a u c i f lo r a (DC. Prodr. i. 3 5 0 ) ; pubescens v. canescens, caubbus ascendeutibus, ra-
raulis erectis, foliis erectis bneari-subulatis o v a to-oblongisve obtusis marginibus obscure v . ad costara revolu
tis basi membrana c iliata connatis, floribus pentameris, sepalis glabratis.— Hook. B o t. M a g . t. 2 8 9 6 ; FAidl.
P la n t. H ü g e l 9 . {Gunn, 1 0 2 9 .)
H a b . Circular H e a d ; Goose Islan d , in B a ss’ Straits, Gunn.— ( f \ . N o v .)
D i s t r i b . Extratropical c o ^ t s o f Australia. (Cultivated in E ngland.)
I have identified tliis ivith the plant figured in the ‘ Botanical Magazine,’ which has decidedly hoary down on
the diied stems, and ciliated bases to the leaves ; its flowers are larger, as might b e expected in cultivated specimens.
I t appears a variable plant on the Australian coast, and the leaves on some o f the Goose Island specimens are so
oblong and expanded that it may be expected to occur with nearly plane, broad fobage.— Plants a span to a foot
high, hoary with scattered pubescence. Leaves opposite, whorled and fascicled, | inch long, coriaceous, Hnear,
iilunt, w ith the mai'gins generaUy revolnte to the midrib ; when expanded the under surface is very downy. Flowers
solitary, pentamerous. Calyx inch long, nearly glabrous. Pe tals i - i inch across the tips of the opposite ones,
claw shorter than the broadly-obovate erose lamina ; scale broadly ovate, blunt. Stanwis five, o f unequal lengtli ;
anthers broadly oblong. Stigmata three, linear-clavate.— LabiUardiere figures F. tetrapetala (i. t. 114) as a native of
Tasmania. I t much resembles a West AustraUan plant in its small size, densely imbricate leaves, much smaller
flowers, and fom- petals, etc. ; the leaves are hardly cuneate at the base, and the sepals are tomentose at the margin.
— ^L-. Gunn indeed considers the present as LahiUardiere’s plant ; and i f so, the latter is very variable, for his
specimens do not accord weU ivith the figure of that author. Mr. Gunn says it almost covers those parts o f Goose
Island (growing a foot high) where space for any vegetation is left between the burrows of the mutton-bird (a
species of petrel), and that he also saw it at Circular Head, whence however he has sent no specimens.
N a t . O b d . X II. CARYOPEIYLLEÆ, J u s s .
Of tb is e xtensive Natu ral Family (ju c la Jm g Paronychieæ, Âlsineoe, Sïleneoe, and Sclerantheæ) there are
few Australian species, n o t more than fifteen in a ll. The species and genera w hich abound in the north temperate
zone are comparatively scarce, and to a great ex ten t unknown in th e southern. Several o f the
species are cosmopolitan, and others so speedily follow civilization, that they have become denizens o f every
temperate latitude. Colobanthus is a peculiar southern form o f th e Order, th ou gh closely aUied to the
northern Saginæ. The occurrence o f Gypsophila tubulosa in S outh-eastern and South-western Australia
and in N ew Zealand, is one o f th e greatest anomabes I know o f in geographical distribution : it is th e only
Australian representative o f th e great Suborder or Tribe Sileneæ, and had previously been only found in the
immediate v icinity o f the plain o f Troy (in Asia M in o r). W h e th e r really a native o f th e Southern H em isphere,
or only introduced, th e fa c t is sufficiently curious. The foRowing are the eharacters o f th e Tasmanian
Suborders.
Suborder I. P a r o n y c h ie æ ,— Zeaues stipulate. Gen. I. Spergularia.
Suborder II. S c l e r a n t h e æ .— Leaves exstipulate. Sq>als united into a coriaceous perianth. Petals 0. Sta-
mejis inserted in the tube o f the iverianth. Fruit an indehiscent one- or two-seeded utriculus, Gen. II.
Scleranthus.
Suborder I I I . A l s in e æ .— Leaves exstipulate. Stamens perigynous. Ovules numerous. Capsule dehiscent.
Gen. III. SteUaria. Gen. IV. Colobanthus.
Be side s th e above, th e P oly carpon te ira p h y llum (b elon g in g to th e Suborder P aronychieæ) has been in troduced
in to Tasmania {Gunn, 8 8 8 ) : and th e Cerastium viscosum {Gunn, 1 0 3 0 ) (Suborder Alsineæ).
Gen. I . S P E R G U L A R IA , P e n .
S tp a la 5 . P e ta la 5 , breviter unguiculata. S tam in a 3 - 1 0 , annuio pe rigyno inserta. S ty li 3 - 5 . Capsula
3 -5 -v a lv is . Semina sæpe alata.— Herbæ sæpe m a ritim æ ; fobis stip u la tis .
Most o f the species of this genus are Emopeau, and extremely variable in habit and charactei-s. The only
Australian one is the foUowing, which is abundant in many parts o f the world.— Sepals flve. Pe tals five, with short
claws. Stamens three to ten, placed on a perigjmous ring ; when flve, alternate with the petals. Styles three to
five. Capsule three- to five-valved. Seeds often surrounded iidth a membranous wing. (Named from its similarity
to Spergula.)
1 . Spergularia rubra (A. St. H il. El. Bras. ii. p . 1 7 8 ) ; caulibus glabris pubescentibusve decum-
bentibus ramosis, foRis hnearibus acutis subcarnosis, stip u lis ovatis fissis, sepabs lanceolatis marginibus
membranaceis, petalis roséis, seminibus compressis marginibus interdum alatis.— Torrey e t Gray, FI. N .
Am. i. 1 7 5 . S. rupestris, Cambess. in S t. H i l I c. t. 1 1 0 .
Var. ß . elongata, Fenzl. P la n t. H iige l. 9 .— Arenaria rubra, va r. media, e t A. marina, L in n . A . Canadensis,
P e rs. Synops. A. margiuata, B C . F lor. Franc, iv. 7 9 3 , P ro d r . i. 4 0 1 . A . media, L ., F I N . Z e a l
i. 2 6 ; F I A n t. ii. 2 5 0 . A. marina, En gl. B o t. t. 9 3 8 ; Nob. in Lon d . Journ. B o t. ii. 4 1 2 . {Gunn, 6 5 2 .)
Hab. Var. ß . Sea-coast, Circular Head, Launceston, aud D ’Entrecasteaux Channel, e t c .; abundant.—
(El. D e c .) {v. V.)
D i s t r ib . Europe (temperate). N o r th and South America, Asia, Austraba, N ew Zealand, etc.
1 have foRowed ToiTcy and Gray in considering the S. marina a variety of rubra, feeUng satisfied that the
opinion of two such admirable botanists, who have specially studied these species in all their forms, should not be
put aside ivithout such ground?, as I cannot advance in favour of an opposite opinion. I have repeatedly examined
VOL. I .