MH. O. BEXTUAM ON MTRTACE.K. 131 



mediate species {Calythrix Irachychceta, G.acJiceta, and C. laricina) ; 

 for in all three the awn, although short, fixes at once their place 

 m Oalytlirix, 



Under the subtribe Thryptomenete I have included three genera, 



HoirALOCALYX,F.Muell.,THETPTOMENE,Eudl.,andMlCROMTRTtJS, 



Benth., which, in aspect, and as far as is knowa in their seeds, 

 differ but little from Bcec^ea^ in which the few early known species 

 were included, until the discovery of their unilocular ovarium 

 induced tlieir removal to Chamaelaucieae. Even since the im- 

 portance of this character has been pointed out, several of these 

 S^ckea-like Chamaelau-ciese have been first published as Basckeas 

 or as Scholtzias, the impatient anxiety of species-makers to esta- 

 blish their new names preventing their previously examining the 

 structure of these minute flowers with the necessary care. 



With regard to the three genera adopted in the ' Flora Austra- 

 liensis,' F. Mueller is now disposed to unite them into one, although 

 the first, HoinalocalyXyWSiQ originally proposedby himself upon cha- 

 racters which appear to me to be substantial, it having the stamens 

 of Calythrix and Lhotzkya with the ovary of ChamcBlaucium. Of 

 the two species, however, which I have brought under it, one, 

 -ff. polyandrus^ F. Muell., is as yet only known from somewhat 

 imperfect and perhaps abnormal specimens; and of the original 

 one, H, ericceits^ F. MuelL, we have not yet the ripe seed, which 

 may further confirm or possibly invalidate the genus. The prin- 

 cipal genus, Thryptomene^ now consisting of 17 species, has the 

 habit and almost the stamens of BascTcea. with the ovary of Cha- 

 mcelauciece. It was originally established by Endlicher on a then 

 unpublished species. To this Schauer added the BcccTcea saxicola, 

 A. Cunn., which he had previously separated from B(rckea, under 

 the name of Astrcpa, and which has since been somewhat carelessly 

 published by Baillon under the name of Eremapyxis (mistaking it 

 for Bcechea camphorata, Br.), and by F. Mueller as a new Sclwltzia. 

 The third species known to Schauer was established by him as a 

 distinct genus under the name of Paryphanthe^ founded chiefly 

 upon the number of stamens, 5 insteadof 10— a character which, 

 in the five species in which it occurs, is unaccompanied by any other 

 difference in character or habit, and therefore at most sectional. 

 The third genus, Micromyrtm^ was first established in the * Flora 

 Australiensis.' It is certainly very near to Thryptomene \ but tlie 

 differences there indicated in the ovules and placentation, m the 

 very deciduous petals, in the position of the stamens when re- 

 duced to 5, and possibly in the seed, appeared to me to be so 



k2 



