bolauy rtluch cannot be arhtrarüy settled, and in ivMeh eaclt person. in deciding for Mnieelf, tviU generally be gnided
y abstract considérations o f t i c pennaiiencc o f speciiic diaractcin and of ivliat constitntes a species. I m.ay premise
hat there are no stmctnral or organic oh,aractcrs in the üoircrs or frnit ivhcrchy to distingnisl. a n , o f the fom spe-
r . : » i - . colort. form of M a g e , o f scpMs, petals, and amount .and
■, *'“” "=»»■ Nort, as a general rnle, differences, to he o t a spécifié nature, shoidd he accompanied by absontely
distnictive eharacters, howerer slight, in the organs o f reproduction, and these I do not find in the p lants nnder
eonsideiation. I t must be borne in mind that plants so common as these are r e iy apt to ran into stupes and races,
n c t eu characters for uncertain penods, independent of changed cii-cumstances ; aud that irith regard
Heath-hke plants of the hahit of Tetratheca, Epacris, Leptospenmm, Leucopogon, GauUhma, and others this
tendency to vaiy is extremely great. These oirenmstanees, and the fact that eyeryday experience in the gai-dm and
field proves habit to be the most deceitful of aU marks (both beeanse o f the different estimate each observer puts
upon It 111 indmdnal eases, and because it is impossible to refain acem-ate impressions o f habit nnder changed
oucnmstances), strongly mcKne me to consider the I . p rom m km , pilosa., and Gunnii as all one species.
IS to be borne in mind that the above remarks are only suggestive. I am far from sajdng that good and
peimauent charaeteis, though undetected liitherto, » ill not he found for the above plants ; nor » ou ld I go so far as
to say that habit m a , not indicate these ; bnt professing to be gtiided in the discrimination o f species by the theory
at these are creations o t nature, I cannot avoid the oonoiusion that, ns a general law. th e , must be marked by
abso nte characters o f stmctnral importance, and that habit, eoiomr. etc.. and snch chm-actei, as are found to vary
m all plants to a great degree, and m a , be modified to an nidiiiiited extent in onr gardens, are, as a general mle
never available for tonndmg speciiic eharacters, though of the greatest yalne as guides in the search for these
Steetz (Plant. Prerss. p. 212. in mto) remarks that the nmnber of parts o f the flower in TstmtUsoa is variable,
as mdicatod previonsly b , Endlicher (Plant. Hiigel. p. 8), but that tho stmctnre o f the stamens is always remarkably
constant m each species, these being two- or fonr-eened. The East Anstralian and Tasmanian speeies. he adds, have
always tetramerous flowers and short terminai tubes to the anthers, whereas the majority of the West Anslrahan
species have anther-tnbes as long as the body o f the anther, and pentamerous flowers. M r Steetz remarks that the
lairmess is the most variable of all characters, species and their individual organs being glabrons, hairy, or vfflons ■
to w hich I would add, that m the Tasmanian species they are sometimes glandnlai- also. The anthers are spmionsly
fonr-oelled. but perhaps really only two-celled in them all, from the absorption o f the dissepiment. In T. gU n iu k sa
m d T. p ilosa the tnbvdar apex o f the anthers is often nearly as long as the cells ; in T. ciliata it is shorter, and in
i Gan,1,1 and proonmbcm very short indeed; bnt I find considerable variation in each species. (Name from „rpa
fou r, and Ôijko, a box; from the four-celled anthers.)
1 . Tetratheca c iliata (L in d le , in MitcheU’s Bxped. ii. p. 2 0 6 ) ; erecta, virgata, pubescens v gla-
brala, fobis terms late rhombeo-ovatis rotundatisve snperioribns ellipticis glaberrimis y . remote glandnloso
p ilosis m a rgm b n s subrecurvis, floribus breve pediceUatis, sepalis ovato-lanceolatis glabris, petalis majusculis
a n th en s e longatis apice tnbo brevi t e rm in a t i s .- / /o o i . * . P la n t, t. 2 6 8 , J o um . B o t. ii. 4 0 8 ■ S o lu a h a r il
S yn . Tremandr. 8 2 . {Gunn, 6 4 8 .)
H a b . Mou th o f tb e Tamar, on sandy heaths, etc ., Gunn.— (F\. Sept.)
Dist r ib . South-eastern Australia.
A very handsome plant, with much broader and less coriaceons leaves than any of its congeners.— « m s 2 -3
feet high, rather straggling and weak, glabrous or pubescent, with short glandular hairs. Leaves in threes remote
l - i inch long, and often nearly as broad; margins recurved; upper surface smooth or scabrid, lower glaneons glaé
bions. Fedunek. slender, as long as the leaves or shorter, glabrous, or with few scattered bristles. Mowers
large, | - 1 mch across, deep red, and ve ry handsome.
2. Tetratheca glandulosa (Lab. FI. N o v . H o ll. i. 1 2 3 ) ; erecta, ramosa, dense patentim glan-
duloso-pilosa, foUis sparsis lanceolatis ovato-laneeolatisve grosse dentatis, floribus amplis ( } uuc, latis),
an th en s apice tu b o lo cu lis i breviore terminatis.— iJC. P ro d r. i. 3 4 3 ; Hooh. Journ. B o t. i. 2 4 8 , ii 4 0 8 ■
ScJmckardt, S yn . Tremandr. 3 3 . {Gunn, 1 9 4 .)
H a b . A bundant th roughout th e Island, on heathy plains.— (F l. Sept. Oct.) {v. v.)
Dist r ib . Soutliera and eastern extratropical Australia.
Stons^ v eiy much branched, forming little bushes 2 - 3 feet high, all parts but the petals and stamens copiously
covered with spreading, glandular haks. Leaves scattered. ^ inch long, elliptical or ohlong-lanceolate, acute,
shaiply deeply toothed, veiy variable in breadth. Flowers inch diameter, red, or rarely white. Capsules obo-
vate-tnangular, furrowed longitudinally on each valve ; ceUs 1-2-seeded. Seeds püose, grooved towards the septum
of the valve; testa yellow-brown.— The branches are sometimes fasciate.— Schuckardt adds, on the authority of
Kunffi’s Herharium, Cape Van Diemen, in MelviUe Island, on the north coast o f Australia, as a habitat for this
species ; but this is clearly a mistake.
3 . Tetratheca p ilosa (Lab. N o v . HoU. i. 9 6 . t. 1 2 2 ) ; erects, ramosa, patentim pilosa scabetnla
V. glabrata, pilis rarms glandulosis, foliis sparsis confertisve linearibus lineari-oblongisve rariusve late ob lon
g is subtus g lauc is marginibus subintegerrimis revolutis, floribus majusculis ( ^ - | u n c .), antheris apice
tubo locubs ^ breviore t e rm in a t is .-D C . P ro d r . i. 3 4 2 ; Hooh. J o um . B o t. i. 2 4 8 . T . glandulosa, m r .
pilosa, Journ. B o t. ii. 4 0 8 ; S chuckardt, S yn . Tremandr. 2 4 .
Var. a ; fobis sparsis linearibus planiusculis scabrido-pilosis. {Gunn, 1 9 3 .)
Var. ^ ; fobis sparsis u t in a , glabratis. (Gunn, 2 1 .)
Var. 7 ; robusta, foliis subverticillatis anguste Hnearibus marginibus valde revolutis.
Var. 5 ; foliis late ovato-oblongis amplis subglanduloso-pilosis. (Gunn, 7 8 6 .)
Hab. Abu n d an t throughout tb e Island, in poor soil. Var. /3. In stiff clay soil.— (FI. Sept. Oct.)
(«. V.)
Dist r ib . Southern and eastern extratropical Australia.
Chiefly distinguished from the last by a more slender habit, less dark fobage when drj'. and narrow leaves,
with less toothed and more revolute margins. Sometimes however, as in var. 6, the leaves are veiy broad. Mr.
Gunn only considers 0 as a distinct variety, because o f its more slender habit and its affecting a different soü; to
me however it seems less marked than the broad-leaved var. S, whose leaves are upwards o f i inch broad (whicli
however seems, according to Mr. Gunn, to be dkectly caused by bmming the bushes, a remarkable proof o f the
tendency to sport in the species) ; or than the smaU, robust var. y, with crowded, and often whorled leaves. My oivn
idea o f these vaneties is, 'that they are merely induced by accidental associations of colour, soü, habit, etc., and
tbat no two persons would approach to any conformity if independently selecting tbem in the Island or in collections.
Weak specimens o f several foims are often supported by the bushes amongst which they grow. The
flowers vaiy from deep rod to white. Schuckardt lias added Melvüie Island (North Austraba) as a habitat for this
as well as of T. glandulosa, no doubt erroneously.
4 . Tetratheca procumbens (Gunn, M S S .) ; parvula, ramiiHs gracilibus diffusis v. procumbeutibus,
tota glabrata ve l spai-se et remote scaberulo-pilosa, fobis subverticillatis oppositis sparsisve (parvis) bneari-
bus margimbus recurvis, floribus parvis sparsis breviter pedicellatis, ovario glanduloso-piloso, autheris brevibus
poro maguo.— (Tab. V I I . A ) (G an n , 2 1 7 , 3 0 9 , 6 4 9 .)
Hab. Summit o f the W e ste rn Mountains, elev, 3800 fe e t ; also near the sea, on hea% plains, at
Circular Head, e tc ., Uunn. (Fi. D e c .)
Mr. Gunn considers this a most distinct species. I never saw it alive myself; and in the dried specimens
can find no absolute characters, though it lias a veiy distinct appearance.— Whole plant scarcely a span high,
consisting of vciy numerous, slender, procumbent or ascending stems, glabrous, or scantily covered with scattered
short rigid hairs. Leaves ¿ -i- iiic h long, narrow, Uuear, rigid, with the margins revolute to the costa, more or less