166 THE NORTH-AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 



texture of the bark, the manner of its decortication ; consulting like- 

 wise, as very important, the insertion and form of the fruit-valves, 

 which, before opening, form either a flat or a more or less convex ver- 

 tex to the capsule, a character which, beautiful as it is, can only be 

 studied in living plants. Important also is the structure and form of 

 the fertile seeds, most of the ovules becoming abortive; the former are, 

 in many kinds, provided with a very large wing, although the seeds of 

 the generality of the species are wingless. As precisely by the same 

 character Fabricia is separated from Leptospermum, I do not hesitate 

 to refer the former, as a subgenus, to the latter. Deviating here from 

 my topic, I may mention at once a Melaleuca, a truly beautiful little 

 tree, with orange flower-heads, which bears terminal, by complete con- 

 crescence, spherical fruit-heads. Little as I feel inclined to remove, 

 upou this ground, the plant from Melaleuca, so little should I feel jus- 

 tified in removing Syncarpia from Tristania, and Symphyomyrtus from 

 Eucalyptus, unless other differences exist of which I am not aware. I 

 found it likewise difficult to draw a line of demarcation between the 

 species of Callistemon and Melaleuca. Both FalUsnerias, a Nelumbiim, 

 which extends to extratropical latitudes on the Condamine River, two 

 Nymphteas, two Oumrandras, to which a third species was added on 

 the east coast, a Utricularia with dissected leaves and the uppermost 

 leaf-stalks enlarged into a spongy mass which assists in supporting 

 the floating plant, a submersed Ottelia, a new Potamogeton, which dif- 

 fers from P. pusillus in producing floating leaves, were observed in the 

 rivers and lagoons of the Gulf of Carpentaria. 



One of the main branches of the Roper River having led us towards 

 the Gulf, Mr. Gregory shaped an inland course again, in order to cross 

 the rivers of the Gulf of Carpentaria near their sources, where the 

 sandstone table-land was broken into deep ravines, replenished with an 

 interesting vegetation, almost devoid of Indian forms. A new genus 

 of Verbenacea, a Cochlospermum, distinct from the Victoria River spe- 

 cies, an arborescent, charming Calycothrix, an Adartea, Phyllanthus, 

 Gompholobium, a new genus of Myrtacea, allied to Paryphanta and 

 Tryptomene, a Trichinium, Helicteres, Scoparia dutch, Mitrasacme, some 

 splendid Hibisti, Mimulus Uvedalia, a fine, tall Sesbania, used by the 

 natives for duck-spears, a Blumea, Ccesia lateriflora, and many other 

 plants were here the fruits of my collecting labours. On the M 'Arthur 

 River I noticed the first Cruciferous plant during the expedition, 



