N a t . O r d . LX X . THYMELEyE.
In its profusion o f peculiar Thymeleæ extratropical Australia presents a parallel to Southern Africa,
th o u g h in th a t country there are even a greater uumber o f species, and they be lon g to many more genera.
I n Australia all fall uuder P im e le a itself, with th e exc ep tion o f a very few species o f th e tropical or subtropical
g en u s TFihiroemia, a s in g le one o f M ac ro steg ia (a g en u s clo se ly allied to P im e le a ), and one o f
Drapetes.
Gen. I . D R A P E T E S , L am .
P e rian th ium tubulosum, limbo 4-fido, tubo supra basin articulato v . inarticulate, fauce squamata v.
esquamata. S tam in a 4 , fauce inserta. S ty lu s lateralis ; stigmate capitato v. plumoso. N u x ecorticata.—
Eru ticu li seric e i, muscoidei v . e ricoidei ; foliis linearihus, im b rica tis ; floribus s o lita r iis p a u c is v e , te rm in a libus,
in c o n ^ icu is.
A small and extremely natui-al genus, consisting o f five species remarkably distributed, one being found in
Fuegia, a second on the lofty mountain o f Kini Bain in Borneo, two on the mountains of New Zealand, and one
in Tasmania. A ll are small, more or less silky, herb-like shmbs, witb prostrate, creeping, tufted stems, and slender
branches covered with imbrieating, linear, entire leaves. Floweis small, tenninal, sunk amongst the leaves. P e rianth
tubular, with foiw spreading lobes, the tube continuous or joiated near tbe base, four stamens at tbe thi'oat,
alternating with four scales in some species, and eight glauds in others. Ocaiy with a lateral style.— The genus
has been dmded into two, from tbe presence or absence of tbe scales on the perianth, the continuous or jointed tube,
whicb is angled or terete, and the pliunose or capitate stigma ; but if these characters are aU adopted, the genus
must be broken ujj into several. Of these genera Drapetes has no glands on the perianth, and Kelleria, Endl., to
which the Tasmanian and New Zealand species belong, has glands and a non-articulate perianth.— The D. Tasmanica
is a densely-tufted, prostrate plant, forming large matted cushions on the moimtains, with slender interlaced
stems 4 - 8 inches long, and slender branches, covered with imbricatiDg, erect, linear leaves. Leaves 1 -1 4
line long, concave, obtuse, silky at the back. Perianth terminal, süky, sessile, subiofundibulifonn, rather longer
than the leaves ; tube obscurely angled, not jointed ; lobes as long as the tube, linear. Stamens exserted. Glands
eight, spherical, impairs between the stamens. Style curved, included; stigma capitate. N u t black, shining,
(Name, SpaTre-n^ç, a runaway ; in allusion to the fugacious perianth.)
1. D r a p e t e s T a sm a n i c a (N o b . in Kew Jou rn . B o t. v. p . 2 9 9 . t. vii. anno 1 8 5 3 ) ; densissime
cæspitosa, fo liis erectis imbricatis linearibus dense sericeis obtusis concavis, perianthii tu b o e lon gato su b angulato
non articulato, fauce g landulis 8 per paria laciniis oppositis instructa, laciniis tubo æquilongis.
(Gu n n , 2 0 5 3 .)
H a b . Summits o f th e W e ste rn Mountains, abundant, Gunn.— (El. Jan.)
D i s t e i b . YTctoria ; M unyang Mountains, elev. 6 0 0 0 feet, M u e lle r.
Gen. I I . P IM E L E A ,
infundibuliforme, limbo 4-fid o ; fauce esquamata. 1 - 2 , fauce inserta. S ty lu s
lateralis ; stigm ate capitato. N u x corticata v. baccata.— Erutices v . fruticuli gra c ile s, oortice tenacissimo ;
foliis o p p ositis ra r iu s a ltem is sparsisve, in teg e rrim is, subcoriaceis j capitulis sæpissime f o l i i s difformibus in volu
c ratis, terminalibus, ra riu s a x illa rih u s subspicatisve ; floribus alb is roseis v . f la v is , in te rdum dioicis.
A very beautiful genus, comprising some of the most elegant flowering shrubs in Australia and Tasmania ; it
is confined to those countries and to New Zealand. Upwards of seventy species are known to me, which grow in
3 3 1
about equal proportions in South-eastern and South-westeni Australia, and there are also a few tropical ones ; few
or no species inhabit both the East and West coasts.
This genus has been thus subdivided by C. A. Meyer (Bullet. Acad. St. Fetersb. iv. 71) :—
1. Gymnococca.— uot articulate. Fra/? succulent.—P . drupacea, Gunnii, pauciflora.
2. Heteuolæna.—Pma»?/i not articulate. Tube o f perianthlong. Fra/? diy. abundant.—P . nivea,
sericea, pygmæa.
3. Calyptkostegia.—Perianth with the tube articulate. Fruit dry.—P . ligustrina, cernua, linifolia, glauca,
flava, fiUfoiinis, gracilis.
Erect or prostrate, glabrous ov pubescent, or silky shrubs, with generally slender branches, covered with verj-
tough stringy bark, and usually opposite, sessile (rarely alternate), entire leaves. Flowers capitate, rarely axülary
or spicate, heads generally sun-ounded by a four- or more-leaved involucre. Perianth tubular or funnel-shaped,
four-cleft, with two (rarely only one) stamens at the throat, aud no scales. Style lateral. Stigma capitate. Nut
usually enclosed in the di-y or baccate periantli. (Name from TriiLiXi}, fatness ; in allusion to tbe oily seeds.)
§ 1. Leaves opposite. Heads o f flowers in elongated terminal peduncles, without involucral leaves.
1. Pimelea filiformis (N ob . in Lond. Jouru. B o t. vi. £ 8 0 ) ; glaberrima, caulibus gracülimis sim pliciusculis,
foliis oppositis lineari-oblongis eUipticisve subacutis planis margiuibus tenuiter recurvis, floribus
(parvis) iu capitulum subspicatum pedunculatum ebracteatum dispositis, rachi pilosa, perianthio g la brato
tu b o gracili articulato lac iniis elongatis, filamento elongato exserto. (Gunn, 6 .) (Ta b . XCY^. D .)
H a b . Apparently very rare, th ou gh found in abundance in one spot near P en q u ite , Launceston,
Lawrence, Gunn.— (F l. D e c .)
Very nearly allied to the New South Wales P . spicata, but that speeies has decidedly spicate flowers, with
shorter lobes to tbe perianth, and shorter stamens, and the leaves have not recurved margins. Stems very slender,
prostrate, a foot and more long. Leaves iu rather distant pairs, 4 -4 inch long, petiolate, glabrous, elliptical or ovate-
oblong, acute. Flowers small, monandrous, two to six together, capitate, but showing a tendency to become
spicate, ratlier shorter than the leaves. Capitulum geuerally pedunculate, rarely sessile.—P late XCV. B. Fig. 1,
head of flowers; 2, flower; 3, perianth, laid open; 4, stamens; 5, ovaiy:—all magnifled.
§ 2. Leaves alternate and opposite. Flowers capitate.
2. Pimelea gracilis (Br. Prodr. 3 6 2 ) ; ramis gracilibus foliisque subtus præcipue appresse pilosis
sericeisve, foliis alternis v . inferioribus oppositis lineari-lanceolatis oblongisve, capitulis axillaribus termina-
hbusque sessilibus foliis caulinis 2 - 3 involucratis, perianthii tubo gracili sericeo fohis æquilongo, lim b i lobis
oblongis obtusis, filamentis brevibus, sty lo inc luso.— Calyptrostegia gracilis, C. A . M e y e r in B u lle t. Acad.
S t. P e te rsb. iv. 7 1 . [Gnnn, 2 5 .)
H a b . Common b y th e banks o f streams, etc ., near Hobarton, N ew No r fo lk , Launce ston, etc .— (Fl.
N o v .) [v. V.)
D i s t r ib . Victoria, Mu e ller.
A slender bush, about 2 feet high. Stems erect or ascending, branched. Branches strict, süky, as are the
under-sm-faccs of the leaves, and perianth. Leaves altei-nate and opposite, 4 inch long, liuear-oblong or linear-lanceolate,
with recurved margins. Heads o f floweis axillaiy and terminal, sessile, subtended by cauline leaves, but
not by special bracts. Perianth generally yellow, slender, about as long as the leaves. Stamens nearly sessüe.—
Muellei- sends from YTctoria as a variety of tliis a prostrate, densely tufted plant, w-ith four-angled, more slender
stems, and broader, more usually opposite leaves ; it is his var. alpina, from the Snowy River and summits of the
Munyang Mountains.
§ 3. Leaves all opposite. Floweis in terminal and axUlary capitula. Drupe baccate.
3 . Pimelea drupacea (Lab. N o v . H o ll, i. 1 0 . t. 7) ; frutex orgyalis erectus, ramis elongatis virga-
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