65 
The Fiona or SouTH AUSTRALIA, displayed in its fundamental fea- 
tures, and comparatively ; by DR. FERDINAND MULLER, of Adelaide. 
In a Letter to R. KxprrsT, Esa., Libr. L.S. Translated and com- 
municated by Mr. Kippist. [Read before the Linnean Society, De- 
cember 7, 1859.) 
The peculiar plant-forms, which in so high a degree distinguish the 
vegetation of Australia from that of other parts of the world, are far 
more strongly marked in the warmer temperate, than in the subtro- 
pical zone; since, as we approach the tropical regions, they assimilate’ 
more and more with an Indian Plant-world, and eventually contend 
with it for the mastery. Beneath the cooler parallels of Australia, 
certain predominant families of plants, embracing genera and species 
equally singular and varied, yet agreeing in their fundamental forms, es- 
tablish ummistakeably this physiognomy of Flora. Its principal features 
are formed by the Myréacee with their innumerable Eucalypti and Me- 
laleuce, the not less frequent Acacias with dilated petioles; then Pa- 
pilionaceous plants, distinguished by simple, and usually stiff leaves ; 
the leafless Casuarinas, the Xanthorrhew, improperly called ** Grass- 
trees,” with the scarcely less remarkable Santalacee, Stylidee, Good- 
eniacee, and Hemodoracee. For the rest, the vegetation of Australia 
accords indisputably better with that of South Africa than with any 
other; since many of the great Natural Orders, as the (for the most 
part) rigid Proteaceae, the pretty Everlastings, the aromatic Diosmee, 
the Ice-plants, Polygalee, certain Biittneriacee, smooth-stemmed Oy- 
peracee, Restiacee, Thymelee, and lastly, the Hpacridee, which so 
closely resemble the Cape Heaths,—all these range most nearly, if not 
exclusively, with the South African Orders. 
These general characters however are by no means equally well- 
marked throughout the whole of extratropical Australia: on the con- 
trary, although in a somewhat constrained manner, the flora may be 
divided, by characters dependent on the prevalence or disappearance of - 
these families, into a western, southern, eastern, and Tasmanian flora. 
In the west, the Leguminose predominate to such a degree, that 
they form, with the scarcely less widely-spread Profeacez, nearly one- 
fourth of the entire vegetation! After these, it is the great abund- 
ance of Myrtacee, Epacridea, Stylidea, Goodeniacea, Cyperacee, Orehi- 
dea, Hamodoracee, Dilleniacee, Restiacea, Bültneriacee, Tremandrea, 
VOL. V. K 
