squamis sristato-acummntis, perianthiis masculis C.glumis, foemiueis 4-giumis, stylo 2-3-630 v. partito.—
Br. Prodr. 217 ; Sitb. Agrost. 31. 331.)
Hab. Abundant throughout the Island, forming large tufts.— (Fl. Dec., Jon.) (s. u.)
D is t iu b . New South Wales and Victoria.
At once recognized by its great size, S-4 feet high, stout adms as thick at the base as a goose-quiU, copious
ramification, fasciculate, setaceous or fiUform sterile branches, and long, compound pamcles of broadly ovate,
shining, peduncled amenta.
Gen. I I . LEPYRODIA, Br.
Flores fascieulati, dioici v. hermaphroditi, 1-4-bracteati, exserti. Ferianthiim 6 -glume, subæquale.
M a sc . Stamina 3 ; anthens peltatis, simplicibus. Fistillim 0 v. rudimentum. Eoeji. Ovarium tnque-
truin, 3-loculare. Stgli 3, sessiles; capsula trilocularis, triloba, angulis salientibus dehiscens. S<mina
solitaria.—Herbæ perennes; repente ; simplicibus v. ramosis, vaginatis ; fasciculis llorum
ipu c iu u s 0. cumposifia.
An extratropicat Australian genus of about tivelve species, aislinguiBl.cd from Ee.tio chieSy by tbe bracteate
Homers being fnscicled and eiseiied, not sessile in tl.e scales of tbe spikelet, and hidden by them. (Name per-
haps from leprous ¡ in allusion to the surface of the culms.)
1. L e p y r o d ia T a sm a n ic a (Hook, fil.); culmis gracilibus ramosis teretiusculis subtiliter granulatis,
vaginis strictis lamina brevi subulata, fasciculis splcmformlbus alternis bracteatis, bracteolis perianthii sub-
lumbraiiaceis ovatis acuminatis flore brevioribus, petlanliiii glumis lanceolatis aristato-acuminatis exterio-
ribus brevioribus. (ffrmn, 960, 1393.) (T a b . CXXXV. 7?.)
H a b . Wet places in the uortheni ports ot the Island ; Detention Eiver, near Circular Head, and Lake
St. Ciair, Gunn.— (PI. Dec., Jan.)
A very slender, branched, Ensli-like plant, giwing 1-5 feet high, tl.e smailer slates erect, tile larger weak,
and supporting themselves amongst bu.I.e, aud h e rb a g e .-C .ta , when dry, yellow-grey, and minutely gmnnlar on
llie surface lerete, tbe branches somewlial compressed. Sneotb appressed, * - i inch long, with subulate poults.
Flower, h. alternate, spike-like, erect fascieles towards the ends of tl.e branches, eael. feseiele sl.ortly pecbcelled,
arising from tl.e nsil of a membranous bract, J -* inch long Perionlt, pale-brown, shining, each with two to four
short slieatliing, ovate-acnminate, membrauous bracts ot its base; outer glumes shorter tlia.i tbe inner, all lanceo-
late-acnminate and snbaristate.-PnATE CXXXV. B. Tig. 1. male flower; 2. stamen; 3, female flower and bracts;
4, pista and imperfect stamens ; 6, ovary; 6, transverse section ot ditto; 7, stigmatic surface -.—all omjmfei.
Gen. I I I . LEPTOCAEPUS, Br.
amentacei. PeriantUun i-H -g lom . ILlso. S tm in a i ■, anUeru aim-
Utriculus V. nux crustacen, I >tyli
Flores dioici, fasciculati
plicibus, peltatis. F cem. Ovarium 1-ovulatum, stylo 2-3-partiti _ _
coronata. Some« 1.— Herbæ; rhizomate repente; culmis terelimculi,, timplicUjus v. rantom, vagumtie;
fasciculis 11. spicis tamineis empin, mbpientie ; amentis masculis ,apitu panimlatim. rmmie.
The great dissimilarity between the male and female plants of some species of this genus tenders it very difS-
cult to arrrte at any accnrale determination of these from lietborium specimens, nnd I am not perfectly certain that
the plants described under L. tenaw ate sexes ot tbe same. In both Tasmanian species tbe culms arc simple, terete,
and fnrmsbed with appressed sl.eatl.s; the male amenta form effuse, terminal panielos. and are ovate, or oblong
and eylindrical ; the female amenla are crowded, erect, end shortly pednneled. Flower, in both sexes hidden by
the closely imbricated scales of the ame.itnm, sessile. Uola of four erect glumes, rather distant at the hase;
t o — three, included ; o.ther, simple ; >7am»<a short, Fewuk, ot six glumes, tl.e two or tliiee „«ter larger ;
oae rather slender one-ovuled ovary, and exserted bifid to quadrifid style. Fruit a crustaceous, one-celled and one-
seeded, indehiscent nut. (Name from Xctttos, slender, aud »cap7ros,/raí¡í.)
1 . L ep tocarpu s B row n ii (Hook, fil.) ; culmis simplicibus gracilibus teretibus, vaginis appressis
strictis, paniculæ ramis cano-tomentosis, amentis masculis paniculatis effusis ovato-cylindraceis, periauLhiis
4-5-glumis, foemiueis in fasciculis alternis sessilibus congestis 6 -glumis.—L. simplex, Br. Frodr. 250 [sed
non Restio simplex, Forst. Prodr.) ; Nees in Plant. Preiss. ii. 63. Schccnodum simplex, Kunth, En. Plant.
iii. 440, in part. {Gunn, 338, masc.; 778, 964 in Herb. Lindl, et 1444, foem.) (Ta b . CXXXVI.)
H a b . Abundant iu wet, marshy, aud sandy places throughout the Island.— (Fl. Oct.-Dcc.) (v.v.)
D is t r ib . New South Wales and Victoria.
The female plant of this species so entirely resembles the L. simplex, Forst., of New Zealand, that it has been
refeiTcd to that species by Brown, aud, following him, by myself in the ‘Flora Novoe-Zelandiæ.’ At the period of
publication of the latter work, I had not discovered that the plant I now consider to be the female of the Tasmanian
L. Brownii (aud which is veiy different from the female New Zealand L. simplex) was so, both because of its gi'cat
dissimilarity, iind because of its bearing a different number in Gunn’s collection. I have however been confirmed
in this conclusion by Dr. Mueller sending the same plants as sexes of one from Victoria, under Brown’s name of
L. simplex.— Culms 1-2 feet high, slender. Male panicle effuse, of six to twenty amenta, on pubescent, flexuous
pedicels, each cylindrical, ovate, or lanceolate, about 4-4 inch long, of numerous, shining, deep-brown, ovate, mu-
cronate or acuminate, glabrous scales. Female amenta very short, densely fascicled, their scales similar to those of
the males. Perianlh of the male flower of four or five unequal, irregular, linear glumes ; of the female of six broadly
ovatc-oblong, acuminate glumes, the inner veiy much shorter.—P l a t e CXXXVI. Fig. 1, male flower; 3, female
ditto; 3, the same, laid open ;—all magnified.
2. L eptocarpus tena x (Br. Prodr. 250) ; culmis simplicibus teretibus, vaginis appressis, paniculæ
ramis albo-tomentosis, {masculis? culmis gracilibus ciuereis, amentis parvis ovoideis laxe paniculatis, squamis
obtusis, perianthiis i-glumis,) foemineis culmis robustis, amentis majusculis in spicam divisam erectam
congestis, squamis rigide cartilagineis apicibus recurvis subaristatis, perianthiis 6 -glumibus.—Syn. plantee
masculoe: Restio cinerascens, Br. Prodr. fid. Siebr. Agrostoth. 41, et Nees in Herb. Lindl. R. laxus, Br.
Prodr. fid. Nees in Herb. Lindl. {Gunn, ^ ‘i \ . )— S yn .plantoe foeminece: Sclioenodum tenax foernina, Lab.
Nov. Holl. ii.p . 80. /. 229. {Gunn, 768.)
H a b . Waste places throughout the Island, abuudant.— (Fl. Nov., Dec.) {v.v.)
D is t iu b . New South Wales, Victoria, and Swan River.
But foi- Dr. Mueller’s having doubtfully suggested the males and females of this plant as belonging to one
species, I should not have suspected such to be the case, though analogy with L. Brownii, aud the fact of both
forms being common in Tasmania, and each being unisexual, render- his suggestion almost a certainty. The male
plant very strongly resembles liestio microstachys, Br., from South-west Australia, if it be not that plant.—A larger,
stouter plaut than L. simplex. Sheaths with deciduous, membranous apices. Male with slender culms, 2-5 feet
high, and a very copious-flowered panicle of very small, ovoid amenta, each about 4- 4- iuch long, their scales broad,,
acute or blunt, aud iniicroiiate. Perianth of four lineav-oblong glumes. Female culms less slender. Amenta congested
ill alternate, almost sessile fascicles, their scales very hard, cartilaginous, broadly ovate, with short, rigid,
patent, subulate apices, very much larger than the male scales, their margins membranous. Perianth with long,
narrow glumes, the outer larger.
I have examined au inmamed specimen of the male plant of this, gathered ia Recherche Bay by LabiUaidiere,
who nevertheless took the male of the South-west Australian Lygiuia imberbis, Br., for that of his Tasmanian
S. tenax, as pointed out by Brown.