b u s 9 -1 2 -s t r ia t is , striis v e iru cu losis su lc is puberulis, vaginarum dentibus lauceolatis ciliolatis erectis, amentis
m ascu lis 1 0 -3 0 -a r tic u la tis , va gm is campanulatis, strobilis breviter pedunculatis breviter e lliptico-oblongis
1 7 -1 8 - s t ic b is , bracteolis porrectis acutis pun gen tib u s.— M iq . B e v is . C rit. Cas. 7 1 . t. ix . C. (Gunn, 7 8 6 .)
Var. sp e c ta b ilis (Miq, 1. c. 7 3 . t, x . C ) ; hum ilis, ramulis robustis, sulcis latiusculis tom cn tellis, amentis
masculis crassioribus, C. G unuii, Nob. M S S .; M iq . in N ed . K r u i ik . AroMef, iv. 1 0 0 . (Gunn, 1 2 4 7 .)
H a b . Abundant iu g ood lig h t so il in stony places th roughout th e Islan d , exc ep t towards th e northwest.
Colonial name, ■'S he -Oak.” — (F l. Oct.) (» .» .) Var. sp e cta b ilis forming dense small thick e ts near
Georgetown aud on Flinders’ Island, Gunn.
D i s t e i b . South-eastern Australia, from subtropical N e w South W a le s to Victoria.
A very common small tree, 20 feet high, w'ith peiidulons, slender branches, that have an acid ta s te ; its wood
is used for firewood, and wffl burn even wben green. I t differs from the other Tasmnniaii species in its more robust
male inflorescence, more numerons striaj to the branchlets, and coi-responding teeth ot the sheath and flowers
in each whorl, which vary from nine lo twelve, and especially in the ripe cone, which is an inch long, shortly
elliptic-oblong, with projecting, acuminate, ovate, pnngent tips lo the bracts wUcli enclose the cavities oontammg
the caiyopsesi these braets are close-set, and leave no flattened surface between their- backs, which are smooth,
pale-brown, nnd keeled. Gnnn is doubtfid whether the var. sfee taidio is not a distmct spec ie s; Miquel first
placed it nnder quadrivalvis, bnt has since published it as different i I find no character but its robust habrt to dis-
tinguish it, and Ytictoria specimens are quite intermediate in tbis respect.
2 . Casuarina disty la (V en t. P lan t. N o u v , 6 2 ) ; hum ilis, ramulis strietis 6 -9 -a n g u la tis , angulis obtu
sis, sulcis medio glabris puberulisve, vaginarum dentibus lanceolatis ciliolatis, amentis masculis 1 0 - 2 0 -
articnlatis, strobilis "subsessilibus obloiigo-cylindraeeis su b -1 4 -stic liis, bracteis breviter ovatis acutis irregulariter
subtuberculatis.
Var. a ; internodiis 6 -7 -su lc a t is .— C. distyla, M iq . Mecis. Cos. 5 7 . t. v ii. A, 0 . (Ounn, 7 3 5 .)
A'ar. )3. r íg id a ; inte rnodiis longior ibus 7 -9 -su lc a tis .— C. rígida, M iq . l .o . t. vii. P . (Gu n n , 7 3 5 et
7 3 5 ? )
H a b . Common th rou g lion t the Colony, ascen d in g to 4 0 0 0 fe e t.— (Fl. Oct.) (v .v .)
D i s t e i b . N ew Sou th W a le s a n d Arictoria.
Miqnel, in his valuable revision ot Casuarina, has separated Gunn's 735 into two species, ns 0 . distyla and 0.
rigida, differing in C. rigida having usually seven ot eight instead ot six or seven angles on the branclúets. It is a
very common small bush, especially abundant neat the sea, where it forms low thickets 2 -5 feet high, and is distinguished
by its straight erect branchlets from C. quadrivalvis, also by its more oblong cone, with less prominent
bracts, which are less acumiuate and pungent, and mote or less tnhetoled ot uneven on the hack.
8 . Casuarina suberosa (Otto e t Dietr . A llgem . Gartenzeit. 1 8 4 1 , 1 6 6 ) ; erecta, arbórea, ramubs
stricths gracilibus 6 -8 -a n g u la tis , an gu lis obtusis, su lc is medio glabris puberulisve, vaginarum dentibus lanceolatis
ciliolatis, amentis mascnbs 1 0 -2 0 -a r licu la tis , strobibs subsessibbus oblongomybndraceis su bA 4 -
stichis, bracteis breviter ovatis acutis irregulariter subtuberculatis.— M iq . R e v u . O n t. Cos. 6 4 . t, vi. B.
(T a b . X C V I.) (Gunn, 6 4 4 .)— A va r. C. distylm?
H a b . Common on stony h ills.— (FI. Oct.) ( v .v .)
Distiu b . N ew S ou th W a le s and Victoria,
This is an erect species, growing 15 feet high, and is probably the normal state o f the species of which C. dis-^
ty la is a variety. I t is well known as the " H e-Oak,” in contradistinction to the 0. quadrivalvis, or “ She-Oak,”
a name, I believe, adapted from the North American “ Sheack thongh more nearly allied botanically to the Northern
Oaks than any Tasmanian genus except Eagus, they have nothing lo do with that genus m habit or appearance,
not with the Canadian Sheack.” Gunn says o f this that he does not know how it can be distinguished
from C, distyla, except by the stature and slenderer branchlets. I find however as slender branchlets in C. distyla,
and I fenv that the stature o f all the species affords a very fallacious character. Miquel distinguishes this mainly
by having more slender branches.— Plate XCVI. A , male, and B , female plants; C, female cones. 1, part of
male catkin; 2, bud o f male floiver; 3, the same, expanded; 4 and 5, bracts; 6, scale o f the perianth; 7, transverse
section o f anther; 8, pollen; 9, tissue o f anther; 10, diagram o f male flower and bracts; 11, female capitidum;
12, the same, with lower scales and flowers removed; 13, portion o f rachis, with scales, bracts, and
flowers; 14, outer bract; 15, inner bracts and flower; 16, ripe caiyopsis; 17, the same, laid open, showing the
web of spiral tissue in the walls of the pericarp, an immature seed and ovule; IS, mature seed and ovule;
19, imperfect ovu le ; 20, seed, opened, showmg the embryo; 21, embryo; 22, spiral t issu e ; 23, germinating plant
(a, remains of pericarp); 24, cotyledons, leaves, branch, e t c .; 25, diagram o f germinal leaves -.— a ll but Jigs. 11
and 23 v eiy highly magnified.
N a t . O b d . LX X V I. CONIFERÆ.
The distribution o f the plants o f th is Family in the southern hemisphere is in many respects t
iu g ly curious. In all parts o f th e globe they affect mountain localities in preference to plains^ and cool
climates rather than h o t ; for though some few species^ growing socially, cover enormous lev e l areas in the
north temperate zone, none do so in the tropics or south temperate zone, and the genera and species are
always far more varied in rather elevated regions. The cool, damp, hilly surface o f Tasmania m igh t
therefore be expected to possess a far greater variety o f Coniferoe than any equal area at a lower level in
Australia, and so it does ; but, on th e other hand, th e individual species are so local, and present so few
individuals, that I believe the island may be crossed from north to sou th without a single species o f the
Order being met with.
There are iu Australia, in c lu d in g Tasmania, about thirty species o f Coniferoe, o f which nine are peculiar
to Tasmania, one common to its mountains and th e alps o f Victoria, aud another to the lower regions
o f both countries. Only five or six species have beeu found in th e south-we st quarter, and one or two iu
th e tropics. These thirty species be lon g to eleven genera, o f which six are peculiar to Australia and Tasmania,
four o f them b ein g confined to Tasmania itself. Th e genera which are n o t peculiar are Fodocarpus, found
in th e tropics and south temperate regions o f Asia aud America, in the southern latitudes o f Africa, and in
China aud J ap an ; D a cryd ium , which is chiefly a N ew Zealand geuus, bu t has species in Eastern India
and th e Malay A r chipelago; A rau ca ria , o f which there are two subtropical N ew South YFales species, and
others in N or folk Island, N ew Caledonia, th e N ew H ebrides, Chili, and B ra z il; P h y llo c la d u s, o f which two
species inhabit N ew Zealand, and one the lofty mountain o f K in i Balou, in B o rn eo ; and Daminara, which
occurs also in N ew Zealand, N ew Caledonia, and the Moluccas.
The Australian Coniferæ are geuerally referred to three Suborders o f that N atural Family : they are,
CüPJiESSiNEÆ, containing Frene la, Ociocline, and D is e lm a ; Ab ib t i:<eæ, to which th e Araucarioe belong,
togethe r with A th r o ta x is ; and P odocabpeæ, in clu d in g Dac rydium , Microeachiy s, Podocarpus, and P k y llo -
cladus. T he above however are artificial divisions, founded chiefly upou the nature o f the scales o f the
c o n e s; a more natural one is that proposed by Brown and Ben n e tt (Plant. Javan. Eariores, p. 3 7 ), and
founded on the form o f the pollen-grains, which are spheroidal in Cdphessineæ (including Frenela, Ociocline,
Diselma, and A th ro ta x is ), and curved or o f au irregular figure in Abietineæ (in clu d in g Podocarpus,
D a cryd ium , P h y llo c la d u s, Pherosphoera, and Microcachrys).
The structure and morphology o f th e flowers o f the genera o f this Order present many great difficulties,
which were first overcome by Mr. Brown ; and as it is impossible to understand tlie nature o f the parts
o f any one species without a detailed examination and stu d y o f many, I shall endeavour in a few words to
VOL. I. 4