panicula terminali erecta contracta, floribus brevissime pedicellatis, pedicellis bracteolis parvis linearibus
membranaceis deciduis instructis, calyce parvo 5 -lo b o corolla m u lto tie s breviore, filamentis grac ilibus.—
Hooh. Ic . P la n t, t. 8 5 0 . A n R . dracophyllæ v a r ie ta s a lp in a , B r . ? P r o d r . 5 5 5 . [G u n n , 2 9 2 , 2 0 4 9 .)
H a b . S ummit o f Mou n t YYtellington, Mou n t Sorrell, V alentine’s Peak, Surry H ills, e tc ., elev. 3 0 0 0 -
4 0 0 0 fe e t, la w r e n c e , e tc .— (Fl. D e c ., J an .) (t). v.)
This, I assume, is the small variety o f R. draeophylla, to wliich Bi-own alludes as being only 14 foot high, and
gi-owing at the top o f Mount Wellington, I f it be really a vaiiety o f that plaat (which Giuin does not conceive to
he possible), it is singular that it should be so common ou the Tasmanian mountains, where R . draeophylla does
not exist. VTiat differences there are between them reside chiefly in size aud hahit, this being only one to five
feet high, and having ve iy robust branches, covered with closely-imbricating, erect or recurved, rigid, naiTow (sometimes
subulate) leaves, 1 4 -3 inches long. The flowers ai-e tlie same with those of R . draeophylla, and vaiy from
wliite to pink and orange-coloured. Gimn says that this is not a variable species, but retains its habit and character
as well in exposed as sheltered situations ; it always forms a very dense bush, and it is called the “ H oney-plant.”
N a t . O r d . L. OLEINEÆ.
The few genera o f th is Natu ral Order in h ab itin g Australia are Olea, Chionanthns, and Notelæa, in clu
d in g to g e th er about ten species, all in h ab itin g tb e eastern h a lf o f th e continent, and ex ten d in g from th e
north coast to Tasmania. Some form large trees, and several N ew Sonth W a le s species o f N otelæ a y ield
valuable timber.
Gen. I . N O T E LÆ A , Vent.
C alyx minimus, 4 -dentatus. P e ta la 4 , basi inter se ope staminum per paria cohærentia, concava. S ta mina
2 ; filamentis dilatatis ; antheris adnatis. Ovarium 2-loculare ; locu lis 2 -ovu latis ; ovulis ex apice septi
pendulis. S tigm a subsessile, emarginato-bilobum. B ru p a carnosa; putamine chartaceo, 1-loculari, bipar-
tib ili, abortu 1-spermo. Semen p en d u lum ; embryone in axi albuminis carnosi recto ; cotyledonibus foliac
e is ; radicula brevi, supera.— F rutic es v . arbores; ramis te r e tib u s ; foliis oppositis, in te g em im is ; fioribus
p a r v is , a x illa rib u s, corymbosis.
Almost exclusively au Australian genus, consisting o f six or seven species o f shrubs or trees, with opposite,
quite entire, coriaceous leaves, and axillary coiymbs o f minute green flowers.— Calyx minute, four-clcft. Stamens
two, short, placed between the petals, which cohere at their bases in pairs. Ovary two-celled, with two pendulous
ovules in each cell. F ru it a drupe, with an oblong, hard, bipartite, coriaceous nut, containing one to four pendulous,
albuminous seeds.— The N . ligustrina forms a bush 6 - 8 feet high, or more rarely a small tree o f 30 feet.
Branches slender. Leaves coriaceous, petioled, lanceolate, acute or obtnse, opaque on both sm-faces. Flowers in
coi-ymbose panicles, shorter than the leaves. Fedieels slender. Calyx-lohaa acute. Drupes oblong, purple, two to
fom--seeded, varying in colour from white to pink and purple. (Name from votos, the south, and eXata, an oliv e)
1. N o t e læ a l i g u s t r in a (Vent. Choix, 2 5 ) ; foliis lanceolatis opacis subtus punctatis, calycis lobis
acutis.— D r . P r o d r . 5 2 4 ; B C . P ro d r. viii. 2 9 1 . {Gunn, 3 7 4 .)
H a b . Common by banks o f rivers, and on th e skirts o f woods.— (F l. F eb .) [v. v.)
D i s t k i b . South-eastern Australia, N ew South Wale s, and Victoria.
N a t . O e d . LL APOCYNEÆ.
Of th is extensive Order comparatively very few (about thirty) Australian species are k n ow n ; these,
with th e exception o f ly o n s ia and A ly x ia , are almost confined to the tropics, and chiefly to th e north-east
coast. Of the closely-allied Order Asclepiadeæ there are no Tasmanian sp ecies, b u t about thirty con tin en ta
l Australian, o f which one or two only are extratropical.
Gen. I . A L Y X IA , B an k s.
C alyx 5-partitus, eglandulosus. Corolla hypocrateriformis, tubo apice constricto, in tu s piloso, fauce
nuda. Stamina inclusa. Ova ria 2 , oligosperma, stylo unico ; stigmate obtuso. Bruqiæ 2 (altera sæpius
abortiente), stipitatæ, oblongæ v . catenatim compositæ. Semina solitaria v . plura, superposita, facie interna
compressa suturam ventralem ambientia ideoque longitudinaliter sulcata. Albumen ruminatum, corneum.
— Arbusculæ v . frutices lactescentes, ere c ti v . seandentes ; foliis sæpius te rn is quaternisve, sempervirentibus,
g la b ris ; floribus a x illa rih u s terminalibusve, so lita r iis cymosisve.
About twenty species o f Alyx ia are known, chiefly inhabitants of India, Polynesia, and Australia, iu which
latter country eight have been found ; they arc erect or subscandent evergreen shrubs, with usually ternate or verti-
cillate leaves, and wiiite, odorous, solitary or cymose flowers. The genus is distinguished by the salver-shaped
corolla, with its tube constricted at the mouth ; the two ovaries have combined styles, and ripen into one or two
fleshy drupes, containing one or more seeds, that are compressed and so curved as to appear bipartite, and have a
ruminated albumen.— The Tasmanian species is a prostrate or subscandent glabrous slii-ub, 3 -5 feet high, with
scented wood, angled branches, and elliptical or obovate, coriaceous, shortly petiolate, opposite leaves, about au
inch long, with narrow, recurved margins, veiy obscure veins, and a short apiculus. Flowers 4 inch long, white,
fi-agi-ant, generally in pairs, on short pedicels rising from the branch between the petioles. Dmpes solitary or in
pairs, each one-seeded, simple, and almost spherical, or many-seeded, with the seeds in one or two rows, and the
fruit much constricted between each seed, whence it resembles a necklace. (Name from oAvcrts, a chain,- in allusion
to the occasional constriction of the drupe.)
1. A ly x ia buxifolia (Br. Prodr. 4 7 0 ) ; frutex, foliis oppositis e llipticis obovatisve breve petiolatis
obtusis avenus, floribus subgeminatis interpetiolaribus, drupis solitariis binisve simplicibus e t monospermis
V. catenatim 2-poIyspermis.— D G P ro d r . viii. 3 4 8 . {Gunn, 3 7 8 .)
H a b . Rocky places on th e N o r th coast, frequent at Circular Head, Georgetown, e tc ., Fi-azer, Gunn.__
(F l. F eb ., March.)
D i s t r ib . Southern coasts o f Australia, from P o r t Ph illip to Swan R iv e r ; tropical Australia, Brown.
Gen. II. LYONSIA. B r .
C alyx 5-partitus, lobis basi intus glanduliferis. Corolla 5-fida, pubescens, tubo esquamato, lob is lanceolatis
intus retrorsum barbatis. S tam in a 5 ; filamentis in tubum approximatis; autheris medio stigmati
adhærentibus, basi caudatis. Biscics hypogynus 5-fidus, glaber. Ovarium disco immersum, glabrum, 2-
loculare; ovulis numerosis ; stylo unico, stigmate subbilobo, basi annuio horizontali c incto. F ru c tu s capsularis,
cylindraeeus, bilocularis, valvis folliculiforinibus, dissepimento parallelo libero utrinque seminifero,
placentis aduatis; seminibus comosis.— F rutices vo lu h ile s; foliis o p p o sitis; cymis trich o tom is; floribus
p a r v is .
Only four or five species o f tliis genus are known, chiefly natives of extratropical Australia, one being New
Caledonian ; all form large climbers, with slender twining stems, opposite, petioled, generaUy lanceolate leaves, and
terniinal or axillary small white flowers, in branching trichotomous cymes. Tlie genus is characterized by the quinque-
fid calj'x, with glands at the base of the lobes internally ; the quinqnefid pubescent eoroUa, vdth the lobes bearded backwards,
and the throat without scales ; the five stamens adhering to the stigma, and having tlieir anther-ceUs produced
below into long tails, empty of poUcn ; and the two-ceUed ovary ripening into a long two-ceUed capsule, with
comose seeds. The Tasmanian L. straminea is an immense climber, scaling trees 3 0 -4 0 feet high, and its pendu