j^QQ Alfred J. Ewart. 



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contain abortive stamens. Florets all tubular cylindrical, with five teeth 

 scarcely spreading, somewhat swollen towards tip when in bud. Style 

 lobes slightly wider than style itself, about same width throughout, ob- 

 tuse, slightly thickened, papillose on back. Style glabrous. Achenes 

 from V2 — 2 lines long, — Pappus of numerous bristles barbed towards 

 tip, , but smooth at base, in several rows, yellowish in colour. 

 Shrubby plants with simple alternate, sessile leaves covered with woolly 

 hairs. Heads solitary and terminal on short branches. 



70. Stera conocephala (P. v. M.) Ewart and Rees, 1. c, p. 264, pi. LV, 



f. a. (Compo^toe.^ — Additional localities not given in Bentham's Flora 

 Australiensis, 50 miles N.W. from Frazer River, West Australia, Vic- 

 toria Springs; Lake Lefroy, West Australia; Murray Desert, Mallee; 

 Murray, N.W. Bend (?). — Small branching shrub covered with grey 

 woolly vestiture, less plentiful on older parts. Leaves crowded, small, 

 flat, 2 — 4 lines long, obovate to spathulate, alternate, sessile, bearing on 

 their outer surfaces, yellowish hairs at their tips. Shape varies from 

 oval in the basal bracts to long and elliptical in the upper inner ones. 

 Florets 4, extending beyond involucre. Corolla 5 lines long, cylin- 

 drical, much elongated, 5 lobes narrow and scarcely spreading, 6 sta- 

 mens, abortive within tube of corolla. Style elongated and stigmas 

 project beyond corolla. Achenes IV2 — 2 lines long, slender, elongated 

 glabrous. 



71. Stera microphylla Ewart and Rees, 1. c, p. 264, pi. LV, f. b. 

 {Gompositae ,) — Pluchea conocephala F. v. M. var. microphylla. — Lake 

 Lefroy, West Australia. — Shrubby plant covered with vestiture of 

 woolly brownish-grey hairs, which have disappeared from older parts. 

 Leaves crowded, minute, about 1 line long, obovate and obtuse, covered 

 with woolly hairs. Heads 5—6 lines long and IV2 lines broad in widest 

 part. Bracts scaly, slightly ciliate on outer surface, linear and obtuse, 

 increasing in length from below upwards from 3 to 6 lines. — Florets 

 2 in each head, extending beyond involucre. Corolla 5 lines long, nar- 

 row and cylindrical 5 abortive stamens within tube of' corolla. Style 



* ■ 



elongated, stigmas project beyond corolla, Achenes IV2 lines long, 

 slender and glabrous. Pappus more closely barbed than in S. cono- 

 cephala. Differs from S. conocephala in general appearance, size of 

 leaves, size and shape of bracts, number of florets in head and barbs 

 on pappus. 



72. Stera subspinescens Ewart and Rees, 1. c, p. 265, pi. LV, f. c— 1- 



{Gompositae.) — Pluchea conocephala P. v. M. var. subspinescens. — Near 

 Hunt's Well, West Australia. — Irregularly branched shrub covered 

 with slight woolly brown vestiture, which has disappeared from older 

 parts. Many of the lateral branches end in blunt spines. Leaves 

 somewhat scattered, 2—4 lines long, lanceolate covered with brownish 

 hairs. Heads terminal on short lateral branches, about 4—5 lines long 

 and 2 lines broad..— Bracts somewhat scaly with hairs on outer sur- 

 face, varying in shape and size from ovate, 1 line long on the outside, 



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