V. s te lla tim p a ten tib u s , in teg ris d en ta tis margine lo b a tisv e ; pedunculis a x illa rib u s, erec tis v. ascendentibus;
loxihxxs ple rum qu e dense sp ic a tis, f u s c i s ; bracteis sub quovis f o r e cymbiformibus.
About twenty species of this geuus are described as Anstrffiian by Dccaisne in tlie tliii-teentli volume of De
Candolle’s ‘ Prodromus none of them arc wboUy tropical, and the greater number are natives of Tasmania, and
confined to that island.— Herbaceous, scapigerous plants, with stout, often fleshy rhizomes, and numerous radical
leaves. Dccaisne divides the Australian speeies into those unth annual and perennial roots, but I believe all are
perennial, though when grown on sterile soil they often do not siuvive a second year.—Flowers sessile, bracteate,
green or brownish, usually in dense or lax, elongated spikes, rarely solitary, or two or three, tenninating long or
short scapes. Cahjx of four peraistent sepals. Corolla tubular, scariose, with a spreading, four-lobed limb ; the
lobes ofteu with involute margins. Stamens four, exserted, situated at the mouth of tbc corolla, aud alternating
with its lobes; anthers versatile; filaments induplicate in æstivation. Ovary two- or incompletely four-celled;
cells one- to four-seeded. Shjle long, filiform, hispidulous. Capsule circumsciss, with a longitudinal dissepiment,
that bears the seeds. Seeds peltate, with a mucilaginous testa, densely fleshy albumen, and straight embiyo. (jSTamc,
the Latin one.)
§ 1 . Flowei's in dense or lax, many-floweved spikes. Ovary two-celled; cells loith two ovules, o f which one
occasionally does not ripen.
a. Sepals and Iracts pubescent.
1 . P l a n t a g o v a r i a (Br. Prodr. 4 2 4 ) ; hispido-pilosa, subtomentosa, foliis suberectis an gu ste lanceola
tis integris v.' repando- v . runcinato-dentatis petiolo basi pedunculoque plerumque barbatis, spicis obloiigo-
cylindraceis sublaxifloris, bracteis cymbiformibus calycem subæquantibus, sepalis ovalibus obtusis carina
lineari hispida v. pubescente, corollæ lob is rotundato-cordatis acuminatis fu sc is, capsula 4-sperma.— Bene,
in B C . P r o d r . xiii. 7 0 1 ; R a p in , R la n ta g . 4 6 3 ; Barneoud, Monog. R ia n t. 15 ; Nees in R ia n t. P r e iss. 4 9 0 .
P . runcinata, B en e .? I. c . p . 7 0 2 . {Gunn, 1 4 1 .)
H a b . A bundant everywhere, especially in a lig h t soil.— (F l. all Summer.) (v. v.)
D i s t e i b . S ubtropical E astern Australia, N ew South W a le s, Victoria, and Swan River.
Very variable in size, from 1 inch to a span iiigh, everywhere more or less covered with spreading, rather
hispid hairs.— Leaves 1 -5 inches long, very narrow-lanceolate, subacute, entire or toothed, or with naiTOW, lateral
lobes. Petiole and peduncle with fuscous or brown haks at the base. Peduncle erect. Spike 1 - 3 inciies long,
cylindrical; flowers loosely packed, but not so separated as to show the rachis between them. Bracts equal in
length to the calyx. Sepals with membranous margius, and a thick, hispid, pilose or tomentose, central rib. The
liairs at the base of the petiole and peduncle are very variable in quantity, and sometimes almost absent, so that I
suspect tbat this and Brown’s P . hispida may not differ specifically. I have small specimens from Mr. Oldfield,
collected on rocks near Richmond, with only three- to five-flowered spikes, and the petioles and peduncle not
bearded at the base ; it is evidently a starved form of P . varia. P . runcinata is sent by Gunn, from Tasmania,
as P. varia, o f which it appears to be a common variety ; Decaisne distinguishes it by being perennial, and having
the leaves runcinate, but I am unable to distinguish the annual from the perennial species of this section, and had
always regarded P . varia as a perennial, which Mr. Archer also believes to be the case with all the Tasmanian
species. Decaisne describes another species, P . consanguinea, as a doubtful native of Tasmania, aud allied to P.
varia, and P . runcinata, but distinguished by the entke leaves and p a le corollas.
2 . P l a n t a g o b e l l i d i o i d e s (D en e , in DC. Prodr. x iii. 7 0 1 ) ; anima, liispido-pilosula, foliis patentibus
petiolatis spathulatis integerrimis denticulatis v. subrepando- v. runcinato-dentatis, petiolis pedunculoque
, basi barbatis, pedunculis ascendentibus gracilibus, spicis ovatis cylindraceis ovato-oblongisve, floribus u t in
P . va ria .— P . runcinata. B e n e .? I. e. 7 0 2 . {Gunn, 8 6 7 .)
crasso marginibus undulatis. S tam in a 5 , filamentis brevibus ; g ia n d u ia hypogynæ 0 . Ovarium 1-loculare,
p lacentis 2 parietalibus, ovulis numerosis. Fru c tu s indehiscens, subbaccatus. Semina plurima, suborbiculata,
compressa (exemplaribus meis immatura) ; te s ta subcrustacea, crassiuscula.— Herba p u s illa , p a lu d o sa ;
rhizomate repente, f ib ra s crassas em itten te ; ramis ascendentibus, brevibus, f o lio s is ; foliis lin ea ri-e lon g a tis,
carnosulis, basi subvagiuantibus j pedunculis term in a libu s, so lita r iis , brevibus, \- f io r is ; floribus alb is.
This remarkable little plant, first described in the ‘ London Journal of Botany,’ from incomplete specimens,
was placed by me in Portulaceæ ; and I am indebted to M. Planchón for pointing out its true aflkiities, which
are undoubtedly with Villarsia and Limnanthemum, differing from both in the absence of glands at the base o f the
ovaiy, and in the glabrous corolla, and further, from Villarsia in the not capsular fruit, and from Limnanthemum in
the habit and foliage. Liparophyllum Gunnii is a very small herb, 1 -3 inches high, resembling a dwarf state of
Claytonia Australasica.— Rhizomes long, cylindric, branching, sending down long, very thick, simple fibres. Stems
short. Leaves lineai-, 1 inch long, 4 broad, subaeute, flesliy, quite entire. Peduncle shorter than the leaves, terminal,
erect, one-flowered. Flower.s about 4 inch diameter. CaZy^-lobes five, acute. Corolla short ; lobes five, oblong,
blunt, with a thick fleshy disc, and undulated, broad, membranous margins. Fruit globose ; seeds numerous,
compressed, nearly orbicular, bright yellow. (Name from \iirapo%, f a t , and qriKKov, a leaf.)
1 . L ip a r o p h y l lu m G u n n i i (N o b . in Lond. Journ. B o t. vi. 4 7 2 ) . (Ta b . L X X X V X I.)
H a b. W e t sandy so il on the margins o f alpine lakes, Gunn.— (F l. D e c .)
P l a t e LXXXYHI. F i g . l , l e a f ; 2, flower; 3 , calyx, laid open ; 4, stamen; 5 , ovary; 6 and 7, longitudinal,
and 8, transverse sections of ditto ; 9, umipe fruit, unripe seed :— all magnijied.
N a t . Ord. L III. LOGANIACEÆ.
T he plants con stitu tin g th is Order have been la te ly ably discussed in th e ‘ Journal o f th e Linnean
S o c ie ty ’ by Bentham, who lias shown that they are an artificial assemblage o f anomalous members of
Rubiaceæ, Gentianeæ, Scrophularineæ, and Apocyneæ.
T he Australian species (about forty-five iu number) all b e lon g to th e genera Logania, M itrasacm e,
and S trychnos ; o f these Bentham has shown that th e affinities o f L o gan ia are with Scrophularineæ rather
than with Rubiaceæ or Apocyneæ ; that Mitra sa cm e corresponds with th e tribe H edyoteæ o f Rubiaceæ in
many important particulars, b u t has th e adhering stigmata o f Apo c yn eæ ; and th a t Strychnos, though having
no exact parallel in Rubiaceæ and Apocyneæ, is allied to both. These plants are for th e most part natives
o f the eastern coast, bu t several are tropical (inc luding S trychnos), and some natives o f th e Swan River
Colony.
Gen. I . M IT R A SA CM E , Lab.
C alyx 2 -4 -fid u s . Corolla 4-p a r tita , lob is valvatis. S tam in a 4 , filamentis gracilibus. Ovarium 2 -
loculare ; ovulis placentis septo adnatis insertis ; stylo basì bifido. Capsula subglobosa, 2-locularis, inter
sty li divisuras supra septum suturis ventralibus dehiscens. Semina ru gu lo sa ; albumine carnoso.— Herbæ
plerumqxie annuæ, g ra c iles, glabræ v . p iio sæ ; foliis oppositis, in teg ris, ex stip u la tis ; floribus p a r v is , p e d i c
e lla tis, ax illa ribu s et umhellatis.
A rather extensive genus, of which about twenty Australian and three Indian species are known. All are
small, generally annual herbs, with opposite, entire, exstipulate leaves, and pedieelled, small, axillaiy, and umbellate
flowers.— Calyx four- (rarely two-) cleft. Corolla n itli four valvate lobes. Stamens foui-, altemate nith
the lobes of the corolla. Anthei-s didymous or cordate at the base. O vaiy two-celled, with two styles tliat diverge
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