FLORA OF TASMANIA. {^Estimate o f Species, etc.,
E s tim a te o f th e A u s tr a lia n F lo ra , a n d som e G e n e ra l R em a r k s on th e C la sse s a n d O rd e r s ,
th e ir N um b e r s , D is tr ib u tio n , a n d A f fin ity .
I e s t im a te th e F low e r in g P la n t s k n ow n t o b e in d ig e n o u s t o A u s t r a lia * a t a b o u t 8 ,0 0 0 sp e c ie s, a
n um b e r w h ic h w ill n o t in a ll p r o b a b ility b e m u c h in c r e a sed b y fu r th e r in v e s tig a t io n s , b e c a u se it
in c lu d e s u pw a rd s o f 5 0 0 o f w h ic h I h a v e s e en n o sp e c im en s , an d a con sid e rab le p ro p o r tio n o f w h ich
w ill n o d o u b t pro v e t o b e fo u n d ed o n er ror, au d i t in c lu d e s a m u c h la rg e r n um b e r w h ic h I h a v e
r e a so n t o b e lie v e w ill pro v e t o b e v a r ie t ie s ,! w h e n m o r e o f th e ir fo rm s are c o lle c te d , o r th em se lv e s
m o r e c a r e fu lly stu d ied .
A b o u t t e n y e a r s a g o (1 8 4 9 ) , B r ow n , in th e ap p en d ix t o S tu r t’s V o y a g e , e s tim a ted th e A u str a -
lia n F lo r a a t som e th in g u n d e r 7 ,0 0 0 sp e c ie s ; sin c e w h ic h p e r io d 1 ,0 0 0 sp e c ie s h a v e n o t b e en added,
a lth o u g h th e exp lo r ed ar ea h a s b e e n g r e a tly en la r g ed , b o th b y su r v e y s o f th e tr o p ic a l co a sts, aud
in la n d jo u r n e y s m a d e to th e n o r th o f th e T r o p ic o f C apricorn, a n d e sp e c ia lly b y th e in v e s tig a tio n s
o f D r . M u e lle r , d u r in g h is ad v en tu ro u s e x p lo r in g s o f th e A u s tr a lia n A lp s , an d o f th e n o r th e rn an d
e a s te rn p a r ts. D r . M u e lle r \ h im s e lf, w h o h a s p e r so n a lly exp lo r ed m o r e o f th e c o n tin e n t th a n an y
o th e r b o ta n is t, e x c e p t th e la t e A lla n C u n n in g h am , co n sid e r s th a t th e to ta l F lo r a , in c lu d in g th e
u n d isc o v e r ed sp e c ie s , P hæ n o g am ic a n d C ry p to g am ic (e x c lu siv e o f th e m in u t e F u n g i a n d fr e sh -w a te r
A l g a ) , c a n n o t e x c e e d 1 0 ,0 0 0 sp e c ie s. C r y p to g am ic p la n t s are k n ow n to b e e x tr em e ly rare in A u s tr a lia
a s com p a r ed w ith P h æ u o g am ic j n e v e r th e le s s , a s th e y a lr ead y am o u n t to fu lly 2 ,0 0 0 disco v e r ed sp e -
c ie s ,§ I su sp e c t th a t D r . M u eU e r ’s e s t im a te i s m o r e p rob ab ly to o low th a n to o h ig h , an d th a t w e m a y
a ssum e 9 , 0 0 0 - 1 0 ,0 0 0 flow e r in g p la n ts a s a n ap p ro x im a tio n to th e n um b e r th a t w ill e v e n tu a lly h e
fo u n d to b e in d ig e n o u s t o A u s tr a lia . ||
C o n s id e r in g th a t th e v e g e ta tio n o f A u s t r a lia is co n fin ed t o a b e lt o f m o r e or le s s fe r t ile la n d
su r r o u n d in g a n arid d e s e r t, w b ich o c cu p ie s p e rh ap s tw o -th ird s o f it s to ta l ar ea, an d th a t th e tro p ica l
r e g io n i s an e x t r em e ly po o r o n e in p la n ts , th is F lo r a m u s t b e c o n sid e r ed a s v e r y la r g e . A n d i f th e
tr o p ic a l F lo r a is ex c lu d ed , an d th e tem p e r a te a lo n e com p a red n um e r ic a lly w ith th a t o f E u r o p e for
in s ta n c e , th e v e r y v a r ied n a tu r e o f th e A u s tr a lia n v e g e ta tio n wiU appear a ll th e m o r e r em a rk ab le.
T h u s th e su p e r fic ie s c lo th ed w ith a n y c o n sid e ra b le n um b e r o f sp e c ie s in ex tr a -tr o p ic a l A u s tr a lia , is
p rob ab ly n o t eq u a l to o n e - fifth o f th e s im ila r ly c lo th e d a r ea o f E u r o p e , w h ich , th o u g h so m u ch more
v a r ied in a ll i t s p h y s ic a l fea tu r e s, c o n ta in s o n ly 9 ,6 4 8 * * sp e c ie s, a c c o rd in g to N ym a n ’s lis t , an d th is
* Except when otherwise stated, I include Tasmania and its islands under the general term Australia.
t Dr. MueUer’s valuable notes upon my ‘ Tasmanian Flora,’ which wiU be found in the Supplement, show
how very much is to be done in the reduction of species founded on herbarium specimens, even when these are
unusuaUy copious and good.
X Journal o f tbe Linnæan Society, Botany, vol. ii. p. 141.
§ In Tasmania alone there are Fenis and aUies, 70 ; Mosses and Hepaticæ, 386 ; Algæ, 315 ; Lichens, about
1 0 0 ; Fungi, 275. And I cannot doubt but that this number will be doubled by future discoverers.
jt I need hardly remark, that tbe very different opinions entertained by botanists as to what amount and constancy
of difference between many forms of plants shoidd constitute a species, renders all such comparisons vague ;
and I may add that no two or more botanists can ascertain the comparative value of tbeir opinions except they have
exactly the same mateiials to work with. I t is too often forgotten that in the sciences of observation what are caUed
negative facts and evidence are worthless as compared with positive.
** Nyman, SyUoge Florae Europæ.
o f A u s tra lia .} INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. x x x i
in c lu d e s a la r g e p ro p o r tio n o f w h a t w o u ld b e c o n sid e r ed v a r ie tie s in a ll th e A u s tr a lia n e s tim a t e s . T o
b e m o r e p r e c ise , I m a y s ta t e , tb a t th e fe r tile p o r tio n s o f th e c o lo n ie s o f N e w S o u th W a le s , V ic to r ia ,
S o u th A u s tr a lia , an d W e s t e r n A u stra lia , do n o t p rob ab ly , in th e a g g r e g a te , e x c e e d in ar ea S p a in ,
I ta ly , G r e e c e , an d E u ro p ea n T u rk e y , a n d c o n ta in p e rh ap s h a lf a s m a n y m o r e flow e r in g p la u t s , o r as
m a n y a s th e s e E u r o p e a n c o u n tr ie s to g e th e r w ith A s ia M in o r and t h e C au ca su s d o . T h e r e is , h ow ev e r ,
lit t le or n o th in g to b e le a r n t from su ch n um e r ic a l com p a r ison s o f sp e c ie s, w h en n o t e x am in ed in r e la
t io n to th e g e n e r ic an d o rd in a l d iffe ren ce s w h ich ch a i’ac te r iz e th em , an d to w h ich I s h a ll h e r ea fte r
a llude .
T h e r e la tiv e p rop o r tion s o f th e tw o g r e a t c la sse s o f F low e r in g p la n ts , M o n o c o ty le d o n s t o D ic o ty
le d o n s , are a s 1 : 4 '6 ,* w h ic h i s a c lo se ap p ro x im a tio n t o w h a t is su p p o sed to o b ta in in th e v e g e ta tio n
o f th e w h o le g lo b e (1 : 4 - 9 ) ,f a r em a rk ab le c o in c id en c e , w h en tb e fa c t I h a v e a lr ead y a llu d ed t o is
b o rn e in m in d , th a t s e v e n - e ig h th s o f th e sp e c ie s, and tw o -fif th s o f th e g en e r a o f A u s t r a lia h a v e n o t
b e e n fo u n d elsew-here o n th e g lo b e .
R e g a r d in g th e tem p e r a te an d tr o p ic a l A u s tr a lia n F lo r a s s ep a ra te ly , I find th a t th e tr o p ic a l
co n ta in s a b o u t 2 ,2 0 0 sp e c ie s, an d th e tem p e r a te 5 ,8 0 0 , an d th a t th e p rop o r tion s o f M o n o c o ty le d o n s to
D ic o ty le d o n s in ea ch are,—
Tropical F lo ra . . . 1 : 3 - 5 Temperate F lo ra . . . 1 -. 5-0
C om p a r in g th e s e n um b e r s w ith th o s e o b ta in ed fr om s im ila r ly la r g e areas, th e r e is a g a in a r em a rk ab le
c o n c o r d a n c e ,! e x em p lify in g th e e s ta b lish ed fa c t th a t th e p ro p o r tio n o f D ic o ty le d o n s in c r ea se s w ith
th e in c r e a s in g d ista n c e fr om th e trop ic s. T h u s w e h a v e ,—
Temperate E lo ra s. T ro p ica l F loras.
E u r o p e ' ................................Monoeot. : D ico t. :: 1 : 5 '2 W e s te rn Trop. Africa® Monocot. : D ico t. :: 1 :3 -6
R u ssian Empire^ . . „ „ 1 : 5 - 1 C e y lo u ® ................................... „ „ 1 : 3 - 1
B r itish N o r th Am e rica“ „ „ 1 : 3 - 8 India^ . . . . . „ „ 1 : 3 - 8
South Africa . . . „ „ 1 : 4 ' 2 Tropics® generally . „ „ 1 ; 3-0
Australia . . . . „ „ 1 :5 -0 Australia . . . . „ „ 1 : 3 - 5
* Brown (General Remarks, p. 6) gives tbe proportion o f Dicotyledons to Monocotyledons as rather more tban
3 :1 , from wbieb it appears tbat tbe results of subsequent coUectioiis bas been to increase tbe number of Dicotyledons
relatively to tbat of Monocotyledons vei-y largely. And this is as was to be expected, for tbe Monocotyledons are
most widely diffused, and hence tend to preponderate unduly in mcomplete Floras.
t According to Lindley’s ‘ Vegetable Kingdom,’ in which the nmnerical values of tbe Orders, as regards tbe
genera and species they contain, were obtained with great labour, and are entitled to much confidence.
X Brown, on tbe contrary (Gen. Remai-k ), found a considerable discordance on this very point, for bis
materials from Neiv South Wales and from Kmg George’s Sound both gave tbe proportion o f Monocotyledons
to Dicotyledons as very nearly 1 : 3, and his Tropical Flora tbe same. He adds ;— “ I confess I can perceive nothing,
either in tbe natiu-e of tbe soil or climate of Tena AustraUs, or in tbe circumstances under which our collections
were formed, to account for tbc remarkable exceptions to tbe general proportions of tbe two classes in tbe
con-espoudiug latitudes of other countries.”
I have satisfied myself, by a comparison of the relative cbstribution of Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons within
Australia, tbat this discordance was only apparent, aud due to tbe fact o f bis collections not being complete enough.
I have elsewhere remarked that the same source of en-or bas vitiated Brown’s estimates of tbe proportions of tbe
classes in Western Africa (Lmu. Trans, xx. p. 2-10 note).
' Nymau, Syllogc. “ Hooker’s 'Flora Boreab-Americana.’ ® Hooker’s ‘ Niger Flora.’
® Lcdebonr, ‘ Flora Rossica.’ ^ Dr%e, Meyer, Har\'ey’s SISS., etc. ® Tbwaites’s ‘ Summary.’
^ Author’s MSS. The Indian Flora here estimated includes a large number o f temperate and alpine plants,
and tbe proportion of Dicotyledons is beucc high. ® A, Dc Candolle, Geogr. Bot. p. 1188.