light frosts of the winter season at Melbourne. Being throughout 

 the year covered with innumerable blossoms, generally inter- 

 spersed with bright-red and finally dark-purple berries, we re- 

 gard this plant, irrespective of its curious flat, leaf-like ramifica- 

 tions, also in a horticultural point of view, as one of the most 

 interesting acquisitions of our gardens, and anticipate, that ere 

 long it will become a general garden favourite. Grown in the 

 conservatory, the plant produces mainly leaves, but continues 

 usually flowerless; and when even cultivated in the open air 

 in the Australian lowlands, leaves are sparingly or hardly de- 

 veloped, whilst instead the flowers are produced in the utmost 

 exuberance. Our cultivated plants have as yet never produced 

 any fertile seeds, and consequently the generic position of this 

 species remains as yet doubtful, especially since no genuine 

 species of Coccoloba is hitherto known from the eastern hemi- 

 sphere ; and since the habit of our plant is quite at variance with 

 any other member of the Order. Indeed it is not improbable 

 that our plant is referable to Mueldenbechia, under which name 

 it has been distributed from our herbarium, or it may, on future 

 examination of the embryonic characters, be proved that the plant 

 represents a peculiar genus, to which then the published sec- 

 tional name, Homalocladium, may be given. It is most readily 

 multiplied from cuttings." — F. Mueller. 



Our plate represents a leafing and a flowering specimen ;— of 

 which a beautiful drawing and the above description were com- 

 municated by Dr. Mueller. 



Fig. 1. Mower, side view. 2. Front view of ditto. (3 is omitted.) 4 Sta- 

 men. 5. Pistil. 6 and 7. Side and front view of a fruit, surrounded by the per- 

 sistent perianth. 8. Caryopsis. 9 and 10. The same cut through vertically and 

 transversely : — maaniRed. J 



transversely : — magnified. 



