Tab. 6933. 

 XANTHORRH,EA Pbmssii. 



Native of South-Western Australia. 



Xat. Ord. Juncace^:. — Tribe Xkuote.e. 

 Genus Xanthobbii-EA, Smith ; {Benth. et Heok.f. Gen. PL vol. iii. p. 866.) 



Xanthorehjea Preissii; caudice arborco, foliis o basi latiasoala longissiniis 

 gracilibus 3-4-quetris Iambus vigidulis junioribus fragilibus, seapo robust o 

 3-8 pedali, spiea scapo eequilonga elongato cylindract'a obtusa basi zona 

 bractearum rigidarum instructs, braeteis extimis alabastra vix excedentibos, 

 bracteolis lineari-spatluilatis v. lanceolatis perianthio paulo brcvioribus, peri- 

 anthii segmentis exterioribus ansruste oblongis concavis siccis 3-5-neiviis, 

 interioribus paulo latioribus 5-7-nerviis apice obtusis membrana angusta 

 alatis. 



X. Preissii, Endliclier in Plant. Preiss. vol. ii. p. 39; Bcntli. Flor. Austral. 

 vol. vii. p. 117. 



X. Brunonis, Endl. I. c. 



X. Drummondii ,Uarv. in Hook. Keio Journ. Pot. vol. vii. p. 57. 



X. pecoris, F. Muell. Fragment. Fl, Austral, vol. iv. p. 110. 



This is the fourth species of the remarkable Australian 

 genus of " Grass Gum-trees " that has flowered in the Royal 

 Gardens of Kew, and been figured in this Magazenb, the 

 others being X qradrangulata (Tab. 6075), X. hastilis (Tab. 

 4722), and X. minor (Tab. 6297). It is confined to the Swan 

 River Colony,, and is the only species certainly known to 

 grow there, except X. gracilis, which differs in its flat 

 leaves and the broad wings at the tips of the inner 

 segments of the perianth. I say certainly, however, for 

 Bentham, who includes under X. Preissii, X. Brunonis, 

 Drummondii and ^ecoris, says, "I maybe wrong in uniting 

 the above supposed species, but I am quite unable to 

 distinguish them by dried specimens." That he was 

 right, however, may be inferred from the fact that none of 

 them are taken up by Fred. Mueller in his last enumeration 

 of all known Australian plants. 



Of these three, X. Brunonis has no differential charac- 

 ters of importance assigned to it by its author. X. Drum- 

 mondii was described by Harvey, who supposed it to be 

 may 1st, 1887. 



