• ribus vacuis, stigmatibus iudivisis, capsula obovata apice simplici uniloculari, placentis basi distinctis.—
[Gunn, 1389.)
H a b . Common on the load to Macquarrie harbour, in similar situations with X operculata, Gunn.—
(Fl. Nov.-Feb.)
Distrib. South-eastern Australia.
A much smaller species than X. operculata, with short, rigid, flat leaves, scabrous at the margin, and often
tortuous, more slender twisted scapes, and smaller capitula, the scales of which are fewer, paler in the centre, and
not qniuquefariously aiTanged. Outer scale of perianth vciy broadly obcordate ; inner lateral, with scabrous keels.
Ooaty obovate, not furnished with the granular four-lobed apex of X operculata. Brown describes the capsule
(which I have not seen) as unilocular, with three distinct placentæ.
N a t . Obd. XIV. RESTIACEÆ.
This Order, including Centrolepideæ as a tribe or suborder, is far more abuudant iu Australia than in
any other country except South Africa. With the exeeptiou of the very widely distributed genus Erio-
caulon (which is absent from Tasmania), almost all the genera of the Order are natives of these two countries,
and the majority of them are Australian. Owing to the difficulty of discriminating the genera and species,
aud to the male and female individuals of the same species being often very dissimilar, the Australian members
of the Order are in considerable confusion. Of these I have examined about 120 species, the majority
of them natives of the south-western quarter of the contiuent, and very few indeed being common to
that and the south-eastern quarter. The Resliacea generally grow in dry and poor soils, forming coarse,
Rush-like or Crass-like tufts, that are sometimes with difficulty distinguished from Oyperacece, except by
the siieaths of the culms and leaves, which are in Restiacece split at the base (except in R . complanatus),
and the anthers are usually one-celled.
Geu. I. RESTIO, L.
Flores dioici, amenti squamis dispositi, ebracteati. Perianthii squamæ 4.--6, glumaceæ. M a sc.
Stamina 4 - 6 ; antheris l-locularibus, peltatis. FcEin. Capsula 2-3-loba, 2-3-locularis, angulis salientibus
dehiscens; stylo 2-3-partito; loculis 1-spermis.^—Herbæ rigidce; rhizomate aphyllo, squamato ; culmis
junceis, aphyllis, simplicibus v. ramosis, vaginatis ; vaginis laxis v. culmo appressis ; amentis solitariis spicatis
paniculatisve.
One of the largest genera of the Order, confined to South Africa and Australia, from which last country I have
seen about thirty species. All are diy, rigid, Rush-like, dioeoious plants, with woody, creeping, scaly rhizomes,
sending up erect, simple or branched, bracteate cubns, which bear terminai, small, brown, solitary or spiked or
panicled amenta.—Scales of the amentum rigid, imbricate all round, each bearing one small, obsciue, unisexual,
ebracteate flower. Perianth of four to six coiiaceous, brown glumes. Male fiower with two or three stamens,
with simple, peltate anthers. Female with a two- or three-celled and -lobed ovary, having a two- or three-parted
style. Capsule small, two- or three-lobed, bursting at the angles; cells one-seedcd. (Name from restis, a cord.)
§ 1. Oulms very rarely divided or branched.
1. R e stio monoeephalus (Br. Prodr. 24 5 ); culmis simplicibus v. divisis teretibus, vaginis laxis
truncatis, amentis solitariis paucisve late ovatis, squamis coriaceis obtusis, perianthiis G-gliimis, stylis 2.—
((?»«», 1392.) (Ta b . CXXXV. A.)
H a b . Not uncommon in moist quartzy or sandy soil, in various parts of the Colony.— (Fl. Feb.)
D is t iu b . Victoria.
Brown describes this as having generally but one sheath on the cnlm, and a single amentum; such is the case
with my smallest specimens only; the larger ones have numerous sheaths, and tiiree to live alternate, peduncled
iimeata.— Culms 6-18 iuches high, slender, bright-yeUow when diy, glabrous or |mbesceut, rarely divided, terete,
or grooved on one side above cacli node on the face opposite the vagina. Shealh 4 - 4 inch long, lax, spread open,
coriaceous, truncate, often ciliate or villous. Amenla i~ i inch long, broadly ovate. Scales imbricating all round,
blunt, dark-brown, slightly ciliated, as arc the periaiith-scales. Styles separate from the veiy base. — P late
CXXXV. J . Fig. 1, male flower; 2, female ditto, laid open; 3, ripe fruit; 4, transverse section of ditto; 5, fruit,
dehisced ; 6, one valve of ditto ‘.— all magnified.
2. R e stio < 'lanatus (Br. Prodr. 245) ; 1 e cæspitosus, culmis simplicibus compressis, vaginis
strictis membranaceis basi integris !, amentis laxe paniculatis erectis, mascuUs ovatis, foemineis ovato-oblongis,
squamis lanceolatis aristato-acumiuatis ciliatis, perianthiis 4-glumis, stylo bifido v. bipartito. (Gunn
962.)
H a b . Common in heathy places about Circular Head and Georgetown, Gunn, and ¡irobably in other
parts of the Island.—(Fl. Nov., Dec.)
D is t r ib . New South Wales and Victoria.
Culms from very short, tufted rhizomes, 6-24 inches high, quite flat, or much compressed and two-edged.
Sheaths membranous, with a short, erect, blunt apex, quite entire at the base. Amenta panieled in the upper
sheaths, 011 long, slender peduncles, few or numerous, \ inch long, oblong ovate. Scales niunerous, membranous,
ovate, acuminate, aristate, ciliate, pale-brown aud shining. Periantli of foni- membranous glumes. Ovaiy orbicular,
flat, with a slender style bifid at the top or to the base.
3. R e stio au stra lis (Br. Prodr. 245) ; culmis simplicibus teretibus lævibus, vaginis laxiusculis obtusis
supremis bracteisque tumidis, amentis ovatis racemosis v. suhspicatis bracteis persistentibus brevioribus,
squamis acuminatis aristatis laxe ciliatis lanatisve, perianthiis masculis 6 -gIumis, foemiueis 4 -glumis, ovario
compresso, stylo 2-partito.— Agrostoth. 33. (Gunn, 422.)
IL vb. Abundaot on the mountains, in marshy places.— (Fl. Dec., Jan.) (v. v.)
D is t r ib . New South Wales and Victoria.
Calms tufted, 1-2 feet high, perfectly smooth, terete, not shining. Sheaths erect, blunt, split to tbe base, 1 inch
long, the upper tumid, passing into bracts enclosing the amenta. Amenta shortly peduncled, racemose, crowded at
the top of the culms, broadly ovate, pale-browu and shining, suhsquarrose from the spreading aristate points of
the ratlier membranous scales.
4. R e stio g r a c ilis (Br. Prodr. 24 5 ); “ culmis teretibus lævibus, vaginis strictis obtusis, spica multiflora
subcomposita, spiculis foemiueis cylindraceo-oblougis acutis bracteas superantibus, squamis aristato-
acuminatis, perianthiis 4-gIumis, stylo bipartito.”—Br. I. c.
H a b . Tasmania, Brown.
D istk ib . New South Wales, Br.
I have seen no specimens of this species from Tasmania, but it appears to be best distinguished from its con-
geuers of that country by its numerous spiked amenta, which are not overtopped by tbe bracts, as iu B. australis.
§ 2. Culms muck branched.
5. R e stio tetrapRyUus (Lab. Nov. Holl. ii. 77. t. 226 and 22 7 ); culmis robustis elatis teretibus
striatis superne fastigiatim ramosis, ramis subcompressis, ramulis sterilibus alternatim fasciculatis dichotomis
subsetaecis, vaginis strictis obtusis, pauicula termiuali elongata composita, spiculis pedunculatis late ovatis,