140 DB. FEBD. MULLEE*S BOTANICAL BEPOET 



Of natural orders^ more or less e^ttensively represented in the 

 eitratropical parallels of Australia, none were noticed of the fol- 

 lowing beyond the tropic of Capricorn in a complex of lines of 

 exploration exceeding 5000 miles, and in an extent of 22^ of 

 longitude and 9"^ of latitude ; viz. Bantmculacece, lIyd/ropeltide<B, 

 TreTnandrew^ QeraniaceWj Bosacece, CalUtrichine(jd, Cras8ulace<^ , 

 Cunoniacece, Mesemlryanthemecd, Caprifoliacem ^ Epacridece^ JPlan- 

 tagine<jd^ Iridecd, and JSypoxidew. Besides these, none of the fol- 

 lowing were noted in North or North-western Australia, viz Ano- 

 nac€(Sy Au/rantiac€<Sy Hippocratew^ Erythroxylew, Xantho3cyle<s ^ Ce- 

 dreha^ Alangiaceee, Escalloniece, Araliacece, Oleinece, Piperacew and 

 Aphyllcmthacecd : and these are foreign to North-western Australia 

 in addition to the former : — Cruciferce, Quttifer<ey Oijcalidece, Passi- 

 Jlarew, Primulacece^ Scitaminead^ Juncece^ Bestiacecd and XerotidecE. 

 Amongst the plants remarkable for their geographical distri- 

 bution, the Gouty-stem tree {Adansonia Ghregorii) is deserving of 

 particular notice, since this expedition proved its generic iden- 

 tity with the Baobab or Monkey-Breadtree of Western Africa, 

 which has hitherto remained the isolated representative of its genus. 

 The Australian species, resembling its prototype most strikingly 

 in the often colossal thickness of its stem and in its singiilar rami- 

 fication, is evidently restricted to the north-western part of this 

 continent, where Allan Cimningham assigned to it a range of 4 

 of longitude, and where the same extent of latitude limits its 

 existence. The fruits, borne on a short stalk, contain a dry 

 a<;idulous pulp, similar to that of AdanBonia digitata. 



Of two endemic kinds of Cochlospermvm (Silk-cotton trees), 

 one was found to be a native only of North-western Australia, 

 whilst the other extended from around the Gulf of Carpentaria as 

 far as Porter's Eange on the Burdekin. A species of Datura 

 (allied to D. alba of East India) is truly indigenous in the eastern 

 interior : a Calamus ranges as far south as Moreton Bay ; a second 

 species of the New Zealandian genus Teucridium occurs in the 

 hotter parts of Eastern Australia; an undescribed Oossypium 

 (mentioned already by A. Cunningham) is dispersed throughout 

 the tropics of this country ; a third species of JPandanus indicates 

 generally the permanency of fresh water ; and the only indigenous 

 Sciadophylltm seems to be analogous with 8c. macrostachyum of 

 New Guinea, and occurs, according to the observations of Mr. C 

 Moore, as far south as Wide Bay. I may also draw attention to 

 the wide northem range of the following genera, known formerly 

 only from the extrai^Qjgical ?;oi)e. of Australia; viz. Seringia^ Ke> 



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