Gen. I I . PO L Y PO M PH O L Y X , «
C alyx 4-p ar titu s. Cætera u t in J tñ c u la r ia .
There are several Australian UtricularuB with four-lobed calyces, which have been raised to generic rank by
Lehmann, under the above name, and at about the same time by Alphonse de Candolle, in the Appendix to the
eighth volume o f the ‘ Prodi-omus,’ under that of Tetralobiis. (Name from iroXus, manip and íto/í<í>oXu^, a bubble.)
1. P o l3rpompbolyx ten ella (Lehm. in B o t. Zeit. ii. 1 1 0 ) ; pusilla, tenella, acaulis, radiculis vesiculiferis,
foliis p e tiolatis spathulatis, scapo apice l - 3 - â o r o , pedicellis 1-bracteolatis, floribus parvis roseis,
corollæ labio superiore bifido, inferiore trifido, palato acuto puberulo, calcare obtuso.— L ehm . in P la n t.
P re iss. i. 3 4 1 . Utricularia tenella, B r . P ro d r . 4 3 2 ; A . B C . P ro d r. viii. 1 6 . {Gunn, 8 9 6 ? )
H a b . Flinde rs’ Islan d , Gunn.
D i s t r i b . S outh-eastern and South-western Austraha.
My Tasmanian specimens are very imperfect, and I have improved ray description from Australian ones.— A
small, slender, stemless plant, l p - 2 4 inches high. Doo?-fibres minute, often beaiing small bladders. Leaves very
minute, often numerous, all radical, 4 inch long, spathulate or elliptical. Scape slender, oue- to three-flowered.
Flowers about 3 - 4 lines across. Upper lip o f corolla bilobed ; lower more deeply thi'ee-lobed ; lobes Iinear-oblong,
blunt.
N a t . O r d . LX I. PRIMULACEÆ.
T h e few AustraHan representatives o f th is Order b elon g to th e European genera L y sim a ch ia and
Samolus, to g eth er w ith s in g le species o f M ie ro p yx is and E v p a r a a , th e former a genus o f three species,
in h ab itin g S ou th America, Madagascar, and Austraha, and th e latter confiued to Austraha. Several species
o f Samolus are found, and o f L y sim a ch ia tw o ; one o f them, th e common European L . vu lg a ris, was dete
cted b y the indefatigable Mueller in th e previously unexplored wilds o f th e Austrahan alps, b u t occurs
nowhere else in th e Sou th ern 1
Gen. I . SAM O L U S , L .
C a lyx semi-adhærens, 5-fidus. Corolla perigyna, hypocrateriformis, decidua, limbo 5-partito. S ta mina
5 , antherifera, lacinhs corollæ opposita, cum 5 sterilibus squamæformibus alternantia. Ovarium semi-
in ferum ; ovuhs plurimis placentæ centrali affixis ; 5?/(? e r e c to ; 5?^?»«?® simplici. sem i-5-valvis.
Semina angulata, umbihco lateri exteriori opposite , albuminosa; embryone recto, axih, umbilico parallelo.
— Herbæ ; caule s im p lic i v . ramoso ; foliis radicalibus p e tio la tis , caulinis a ltem is ; floribus corymbosis racemosisve.
About eight species of Samolus are known in Australia, of which one, S. Valerandi, is found in many extratropical
countries, in both the north and south hemisphere, and its absence in Tasmania is remarkable; and
another, S. littoralis, is also a native o f New Zealand and Polynesia, and South Chili.— S. littoralis is the only
Tasmanian species, and forms a smaU, rather rigid, branching, prostrate, rarely erect, perennial, seaside herb, with
a suffrutieose base to the stem; glabrous everywhere.— Branches terete, 3 -1 3 inches long, more or less leafy, the
leaves ascending when the stems are prostrate. Leaves very variable in size and breadth, radical 4 - 2 inches long,
petiolate, spathulate, blunt or acute ; cauline generally linear-spathulate or eUiptic, acuminate, 4 k c h long, rarely
broadly spathulate, or even almost orbicular. Flowers white, solitary and axillary, subcorymbose, pedicellate.
Calyx half-inferior, its flve lobes naiTow and acute. Corolla campanulate, five-lolied. Stamens five, opposite the
segments o f the corolla, alternating with five scales. Seeds numerous, on a central placenta. (Name, according to
Pliny, applied to some marsh plant.)
P la n ta ( / in e oe ! \ FLORA OF TASMANIA. 3 0 1
1 . Samolus litto ra lis (Br. Prodr. 4 2 8 ) ; polymorpha, glabra, caule prostrato rariùs suberecto, ramis
ascendeutibus foliosis, foliis radicahbus spathulatis caulinis late v. an gu ste lauceolatis spathulatisve, floribus
axillaribus solitariis v. ad apices ramorum subcorymbosis, pedicellis axillaribus bracteatisve, calyc is semi-
supcri laciniis angustis acuminatis.'— A . B C . Prodi-, viii. 7 3 ; F l. N . Z eal. i. 2 0 7 . Sheffieldia repens, F orst.
Gen. P I . 1 8 . t. 9 ; L in n . S u ppl. 1 3 5 . S . incana, L ah. Nov . E o ll. i. 4 0 . t. 5 4 . {Gunn, 3 8 1 .)
H a b . Abundant on ail th e coasts, especially in saline mud, etc .— (F l. all Summer.) (t>. v.)
D is t r ib . Coasts o f tropical and extratropical Australia, N ew Zealand, Polynesia, and South Chili.
N a t . O r d . LX II. PLUMBAGINEÆ.
W ith the exception o f th e common tropical littoral Æ g ia lU is o f In d ia , ivhich inhabits the north
coasts o f Australia, and the ubiquitous Plumbago Z ey lan ica (also a tropical p lan t), there is bu t one genus
o f the Order known to inhabit that vast con tin en t, to which however (and Tasmania) th e species is peculiar,
and is the sole representative o f the great genus S ta tic e o f E urope and W e ste rn Asia.
Gen. I . STA T IC E , £ .
GafyiP tubulosus V. infundibuliformis, limbo scarioso plicato 5-nervi, 5-(rarissime 1 0-) lobo. Corolla
polypetala v. gamopetala. S tam in a 5 , coroUæ inserta. Ovarium oblongum v. lineare, 1-loculare, 1-ovu -
latuin. S tyU 3 - 5 , distinct! v. basi connati. U triculus membraiiaceus. Semen albumiuosum.— Herbæ v.
suft'rutices ; rhizomate duro ; foliis radica lib tis, p e tio la tis , in teg ris ; scapis ramosis j floiibus secundis.
Statice Australis is the only Australian species, and scarcely differs fr-om the European S. Limonium., except in
the angled branches o f the panicle. I t is a rigid, saline herb, with a hard, woody rhizome, glabrous, petiolate,
spathulate, rather coriaceous, radical leaves, 1 - 2 inches long, aud branching, angled scapes, bearing small, secund
spikelets of flow-ers, (Name from crTan^to, to stop ; in allusion to some supposed astringent property.)
1. Statice Au stralis (Spreng. Syst. V eg . i. 9 5 9 ) ; glabra, foliis petiolatis oblongo-spathulatis ob tu
sis muticis 1-nerviis, scapis acute angulatis sulcatis subcorymboso-paniculatis, ramis strietis elongatis,
spicis ovatis secundis, spiculis 4 -5 -flo r is appressis inferioribus distantibus, bracteis ovatis carinatis acutis
nervo percurrente dorso hei-baceis margine membranaceis, calycis tubo basi obliquo glaberrimo limbi lobis
5 ovatis mucronulatis.— B o issie r in B C . P ro d r . xii. 6 4 2 . Taxanthema Australis, B r . P ro d r. 4 2 7 . {Gunn,
3 7 5 .)
H a b . Common on the coasts, in mud, at high-water mark, with Salicornia, e tc .— (F l. March.)
D i s t r i b . Shores o f tropical and extratropical Australia.
N a t . O r d . L X III. PLANTAGIXEÆ.
Gen. 1. P L A N T A G O , L .
Flores hermaphroditi, spicati v. capitati, bracteati. Sepala 4 , subæqualia. Corolla tubulosa, scariosa,
4-ioba, persistens, raargiiiibus loborum plerumque involutis. S tam in a 4 , plerumque lon g e exserta, filamentis
flaccidis, antheris magnis cordatis. Ovarium 2 -4 -lo cu la r e , loculis 1 -S -o v u la tis. S ty lu s simplex. Capsula
membranacea, basi circumscissa, septo demum libero faciebus seminiferis. Semina hilo ventrali, in capsulis
polyspermis parva, in 2-spcrmis cymbiformia; te sta mucilaginosa, albumine dense carnoso, embryone
hilo parallelo recto v. curvato.— Herbæ caulescentes v . acaxdes; foliis p le r isq u e omnihis rad ica libu s, erectis