A NEW GENUS OF COMPOSITE. 445 



group of Composite, very near the Hippiea, Less., but which 

 may be readily distinguished by their perennial stems, their 

 very peculiar habit, by the absence of pellucid glands and by 

 their being quite inodorous. The present is most nearly 

 allied to the Antarctic American genus, Abrotanella, of the 

 three just alluded to, especially in the paucity of involucral 

 scales and florets, the densely packed stems, imbricating 

 short leaves. It differs from the Abrotanella emarginata in 

 the form of the female florets, and especially of the achaenium. 

 This is, however, strictly the representative of that plant, 

 occurring along with several other equally well marked 

 Tasmanian representatives of the Antarctic American Flora, 

 only on the higher parts of the island, where a vegetation is 

 found in some degree analogous to what we should expect to 

 find did Tasmania stretch far south into the Antarctic Ocean. 

 Other such representatives belong to the genera, Astelia, 

 Fagus, Hierochloz, Acana, Oreobolus, Carpha, Tasmania, 

 Milligania, and others. 



This little plant forms immense broad and flat green 

 patches on the top of the Tasmanian Mountains, sometimes 

 extending for yards, surrounded by Restiacea and the Oreo- 

 bolus pumilio, Br. In general appearance it much resembles the 

 Forstera uliginosa of Cape Horn, but is larger, and forms 

 much broader patches. 



Descr. — Stems densely tufted, erect, sparingly branched, 

 covered throughout their length with leaves ; the branches, 

 together with the leaves, angled from the mutual pres- 

 sure; rooting by sending down long thick fleshy fibres. 

 Leaves densely imbricating, sub-quadrifarious, suberect, 

 short,. about \ inch long, broadly sheathing at the base, the 

 rest subulate, acuminate, very thick and coriaceous, the 

 margins obscurely cartilaginous and serrulate, bright green. 

 Capitule very small, when in flower sessile amongst the 

 uppermost leaves, on a short terminal peduncle, which 

 elongates after flowering. Involucral scales erect, about 4 or 

 5, forming together a su beam pan ulate cup; much shorter 

 than the florets, or even than the acheenia. Florets about 4, 



