Gen. I . L IN U M , C. B an k .
Flores 5-meri. S epala indivisa. P e ía la nuda.
Upwards o f eighty species have been described- of this genus by Dr. Planchón in his excellent paper on the
Order lin eoe (in the Lond. Journ. Bot. v i., vii.). These are chiefly natives o f Europe, Southern and Eastera Asia,
and a few are sprinkled over various parts o f the globe, but tbe genus is unknown in humid tropical countries, where
it is replaced by some other genera o f the Order. Only two Australian species are kno-wn. N o attempt has. that
I am aware, been made to extract flax from the Tasmanian species, though the trial is worth making. The genus
is knouTi by its pentamerous flowers, and free, simple sepals, convolute fugacious petals, ten stamens, of which flve
are imperfect, with adnate glands at tbe back o f the filament on the (Use. Capsule with the cells spui-iously completely
or incompletely two-celled. (Name from the Latin liuum.)
1. Linum marginale (A. Cunn. M S S .; P lan cb . in H o o k . L ond. Journ. B o t. 1 8 4 8 , vii. 1 6 9 ) ; perenne,
glaberrimum, caulibus- apice ramosis, foliis linearibus an gu ste laiiceolatisve, floribus subcorymbosis erectis,
sepalis ovatis acumiuatis integerrimis aibo-marginatis capsula parva acuminata brevioribus æquilongisve,
sty lis supra medium connatis.— L . gracile, Sm. M S S . L . angustifolium, D C . P ro d r . i. 4 2 6 {quoad S tirp .
A u s tr a l.) n o n H u d s .; B a r tU n g in P la n t. P r e is s . i. 1 6 1 ; J o nm . B o t. i. 2 5 0 . ii. 4 1 0 ; Comp. B o t. M a g . i.
2 7 5 . {Gunn, 7 1 .)
Hab. A bundant tbrou gh ou t tb e Colony, L awrence, e tc.— (PL Oct.) {v. v.)
D i s t k i b . T b rougbout extratropical Australia.
Plauehon has well indicated the characters that distinguish this from its very near ally, L. angustifolium, with
which it had always been confounded ; and o f these the united styles is by mucb tbe most important. Gunn says
of it, that it is truly indigenous, and extremely abundant everywhere, varying extremely in size and liabit. On the
summit of the Western Mountains, at au elevation of 3 0 0 0 -4 0 0 0 feet, the p lants he collected were all small, and bad
white (never blue) flowers.— Stems few or many from the root, 6 -2 4 inches high, branched above. Leaves scattered,
linear or lanceolate, -J -l^ inch long, wide. Flowers subcorymbose, alternate on the branches o f the coiymb, on
erect pedicels, 4 - 1 inch diameter, blue or white. Sepals much acuminated. Stigmas linear-elongated. CapeuU
size of a small pea.
N a t . O r d . XIV . ELATINEÆ.
Tbe affinities o f E la tin e a are witb Hypericaceæ and C aryoph yllea, perhaps also w itb Crassulaceæ, through
th e curious genus B iam o rph a , as indicated by P en z l, and assented to by A sa Gray. Very few species are
known, and th e se are chiefly natives o f Europe, N o r th America, and India.
Gen. I . E L A T IN E ,
S epala 2 - 5 . P e la la 2 - 5 , imbricata. S tam in a hypogyna. Ovarium dcpressum, 1 -5 -lo cu la r e , v.
septis evanidis 1-loculare. Ovula plurima, placentis axillaribus affixa, sty lis brevibus. Capsula membranacea,
septifraga. Semina plurima, cyhndracea, longitudinaliter striata e t transverse rugosa.— Herbse
a qu a tica , c e llu la re s ; foliis oppositis ; stip u lis in te rp e tio la ribu s 2.
A widely distributed genus o f water-plants, containing six or eight species allied to the E. Americana, and which
together have been included in the genus Crypta, Nutt,, distinguished by its dimerous or trimerous flower.s, eva-
nesceut dissepiments to the seeds, succulent habit, and entire leaves.— Flowers axillary, sessile or peduncled, inconspicuous.
minute. Sepals andipetals two to five. Stamens hypogynous. Ovary one- to I'our-ceUcd, with axile ovules,
and free short styles. Capmle one- to four-celled. Seeds crowded, linear, striated and mgose, (Name of donbtftd
derivation.)
1. E l a t i n e A m e r i c a n a (Arnott in Ed. Journ. Sc. i. 4 3 0 ) ; pusiUa, repens, glaberrima, caulc cras-
siiisoiilo, foliis obtusis brcvissirae petiolatis, floribns axillaribus sessilibus trimeris, capsula 3 -v a lv i, dissepi-
m entis evanidis, seminibus leviter curvis.— Hjrrcy e t Gray, FI. N . Am. i. 2 0 3 ; FI. N o v . Z e a l i. 2 7 . (Gumi,
2 0 1 0 , 2 0 1 6 , 2 0 1 2 .)
Var. a ; caule procumbente, foliis parvis ovatis oblongis rotundatisve.
Var. 0 . C aU itrich e ; caule suberecto elongato, fo liis ovato-lanceolatis sessilibns retusis.
H a n . Marshes in the northern and central parts o f the Islan d , creeping over mud. Var. 0 . Partially
floating in deeper water. Arthur’s Lakes, Georgetown, Penquite , e tc .— (PI. Jan.)
D i s t b i b . Swan Eiver. N ew Zealand. N o r th America, N ew York to Maryland, e tc .; Oregon to
N ew Mexico.
I iiave again subjected this plant to a close examination and comparison with the American specimen o f E. Americana,
but without finding any specific characters between them. The dissepiments in the ovai-y o f both are sometimes
present, and even in ripe frmt of the American specimens, which have usuaUy fewer seeds tlian the Australian. -
'Ihe var. /3 strongly resembles a CaUitriche in habit, and is unlike the common state o f tbe plant, but it varie?
extremely in Tasmania, nnd I have examined a suite o f cm-ious fonns from Swan River, amongst none of which
are there any characters in the flowers or seeds, but much difference in the foliage and habit, whicli vary extremely iu
all water-plants.— one to several inches long, terete, celiular. Leaves 4 - 4 inch long, I inch in var. 0 , opposite,
sessüe, membranous, witb obscure peUucid glands, o f aU forms, from rotundate, oblong-ovate, obovate-lanceolate,
entke, blunt or retuse ; stipules in pairs between each p ak of leaves, mserted rather above the latter, each leaf slightly
overlapping the edge of the stipiüe next to it. Flowers sessüe, inconspicuous, white or pink.
N a t . O r d . XV. MALVACEÆ.
Australia is remarkable for th e few genera and species o f M a h a c eæ which it p o sse sse s; that Natural
Order seem in g to be replaced by B üttne riac eoe, to a very str iking degree. About e igh ty species are however
known, chiefly o f th e tropical and subtropical genera Hibiscus, S id a , and A bu tilón , though several
species, especially o f tbe two latter genera, extend to South-eastern Australia. The Order is eminentlv
a tropical one.
G en. I . L A V A T E R A , L.
Tnvolueellum 5 -Q -à à am . C alyx h-M\xs. Columna staminea Carpe lla 5 v . fixxxa, ;
ovulo solitario; s ty lis longitudmaliter in tu s stigmatosis.
The only Australian species of this genus is confined to the south coast and Tasmania ; its congeners, of which
there are several, are chiefly European and Asiatic, one or two only being natives o f tbe Cape of Good Hope. It is
readily distmguisbed by tbe involucre surrounding the calyx. (Named in honour o f the Lavaters, physicians and
naturaUsts, of Zurich.)
1. Lavatera plebeja (Sims, B ot. Mag. t. 2 2 0 9 ) ; s te lk lim tomentosa, foliis rotumlatis 5 -7 - lo b is
crcnato-Jentatis, p eiluncnlis axillaribus solitariis fasciculatisve, p etalis obcuneato-cordatis.— F r o i r . i. 4 3 9 .
L . plebeja, ^ tomentosa, J o um . B o t. ii. 4 1 2 . {Gunn, 6 5 5 .)
H a d . Neai- the sea, Woolnortli, and Trefoil Island, Bass’ Straits, Gunn.— {Y\. Nov .)
D i s t r i b . South coast o f Australia, from K in g George’s Sound to Port P h illip ; east coast to west o f
the B lu e Mountains. (Cultivated in England.)