Tan. 4722. 
XANTHORRHQGA Hastine. 
Spear Yellow-Gum. 
Nat. Ord. AspHopELes.—HEXxaNnpRIA Monoeynrta. 
Gen. Char. Perianthium 6-partitum, subzquale, persistens: foliola iateriora 
concava, basi conniventia. * Sfamina 6, imo calyci inserta. Filamenta linearia, 
glabra, exserta. _Anthere versatiles. Ovariun loculis polyspermis. Stylus ey- 
lindraceus, trisulcus. Stigma simplex. Capsula ovata, lignea, 3-locularis, 3-valvis, 
valvis medio septiferis. Semina 1-2, compressa, umbilico basilari nudo. Em- 
éryo transversus.—Plante habity proprio et ubi abundantes characterem regioni pe- 
culiarem imponentes. Caudex sepe resiniferus, nunc elevatus et sepe divisus, 
crassus, nunc brevissimus v. subnullus. Folia longissima, angusta, graminea, li- 
nearia, subtriquetra v. ancipitia, confertissima, undique patula, apicibus recurvis, 
basibus dilatatis semivaginantibus. Scapus terminalis, simplicissimus, teres, sepe 
longissimus. Spica terminalis, cylindracea, amentiformis, scapum quandoque equans, 
Flores sessiles, confertissimi, albi, parvi, multibracteati. Bractex numero indeter- 
minate, imbricata, unguiculate, interiores sensim minores. Capsule exsertae, obtuse 
triquetre, nitide, cartilagineo-lignee. Semina atra, albumine carnoso, molli. Br. 
XANTHORRHE@A Hastile; candice brevissimo, foliis lineari-subulatis longissimis 
compresso-triquetris subancipitibus supra planis linea media elevata, margine 
seaberulis, scapo longissimo amentum cylindraceum pedale vel sesquipedale 
aliquoties superante, bracteis foliolisque exterioribus perianthii apice tomen- 
tosis. 
XANTHORRHE@A Hastile. Brown, Prodr. Fi. Nov. Holl. p. 288. Ait. Hort. 
Kew. ed. v. 2, Pp. 271. Smith in Rees’ Cycl. n. 3. Kunth, Enum, Plant. 
v. 4. p. 649. 
XANTHORRH@A resinosa. Pers. Syn. Plant. v. 1. p. 370. 
Yellow Resin-tree. White, Voy. N.S. Wales, p. 235. tab. at p. 249. 
The Gum-trees, or Grass Gum-trees as they are sometimes 
called, of Australia, are among the most remarkable vegetable 
features of the colony. An excellent group of them is repre- 
sented in Mr. Backhouse’s ‘ Narrative of a Missionary Journey in 
New South Wales,’ tab. at p. 171. That peculiar species how- 
ever is considered to be the X. arborea, having an arborescent 
and branched stem. The perennial trunks are very liable to be 
blackened by the fires of the natives in burning the adjacent 
grass of the plains, and all the species probably yield a resinous 
gum, which, when strewed on hot coals, emits a fragrant smoke, 
“smelling like a mixture of balsam of Tolu and benzoin;” and 
JULY lst, 1853 
