calyx, by the pressure of the germen compressed, as are the — 
ovate, nearly sterile, imperfectly- formed, and minute an- — 
thers. Germen superior, ovate, retuse. Styles three, sub- 
fofiaceous, dilated, crenulated, reflexed, appressed to the 
germen: Stigmas simple, acute. Seed solitary, crowned 
with the appressed styles, and covered by the persistent, 
turbinate, obsoletely triquetrous calyx, which is marked 
with six striz. Embryo unilateral, cylindrical, white, albu- 
men farinaceous, very, white. Calyx in the male flowers, as 
in the hermaphrodite : but the filaments of the stamens are 
cylindrical : anthers oblong, versatile.” Labzll. 
Native plants, bearing esculent fruits, are so rare in 
Australia, that the figure of one, scarcely known even in our 
Herbaria, and not yet cultivated among us, may not be 
unacceptable in the pages of the Botanical Magazine. Dr. 
Wiutson has lately been kind enough to present us with 
some beautiful drawings, made by Dr. J. Scorr in Van 
Diemen’s Land ; and amongst them is this, called by the 
colonists, the ‘ Macquarie-Harbour Grape :” but which, 
though its fruit at first sight bears no distant resemblance 
to that precious plant, and is borne on stems which rail 
ble like a vine, and extend during a single season even 
to the length of sixty feet, belongs to a widely different 
family, namely, to our Bistorts and Buck-Wheats. The 
fruit, or seed as it is commonly called, is known to be 
wholesome in the whole Genus, and is, in fact, a small, 
hard nut : but in this remarkable species, it is invested with 
the enlarged and fleshy segments of the calyx ; thus giving 
each fruit the appearance of a berry. Again, we know 
that in this tribe, an acid and astringent principle is found, 
which exists in the fruit ; and thus, as Dr. Scorr observe, 
it is used in tarts. 
From the figure of Lasitarprers (whose description ! 
have been under the necessity of copying in the absence 
of good specimens) our plant will be found to differ im 
no small degree: but Mr. Brown observes, that it is 4 
very polymorphous species, closely allied and certainly @ 
congener with Cocconona Australis, Forster. Dr. MetsNee 
indeed refers our species to Coccoroza, on account of its 
fleshy covering : but its habit is entirely that of a Poty- 
conum. Dr. Scorr says, that in Van Diemen’s Land, the 
plant is peculiar to Macquarie’s Harbour, and that it ripevs 
its fruit in December and January. Mr. Brown gives it 
an inhabitant also of Port Jack d hores 
of New Holland, son and the Southern s 
oo 
Fig. 1. Fruit bursting : naé, size. 
