768 SUPPOSED NEW GENUS OF THE N.O. MYRTACE.H, 



Rylstonea, gen.nov. 



A delicate, slender, upright plant, rarely with more than one 

 or two stems, under 3 feet high. Leaves small, decussate, terete 

 or laterally compressed. Flowers axillary near the ends of the 

 branches, pedicellate in pairs, borne on a common peduncle. 

 Bracteoles scarious only on the edges, concave, enclosing the bud, 

 not very deciduous, not keeled. Calyx -tube cylindrical, adnate 

 part prominently 5-ribbed ; lobes 5, divided into digitate lobes 

 about twice as long as petals. Petals 5, entire, on a constricted 

 base. Stamens 10, alternating with staminodia shortly united at 

 the base in a single ring ; anthers globular, opening in two 

 minute pores, connective prominent. Ovary 1 -celled, about 8 

 ovules on a peltate placenta, with two processes at the summit ; 

 style exserted, longer and thicker than in the cognate genera, 

 bearded towards the end ; stigma terminal, small. Fruits 

 unknown. 



Species one. 



Rylstonea cernua, sp.nov. 



An erect, glabrous, rather slender shrub, from 1 to "2 feet high 

 Leaves decussate, crowded, terete or laterally compressed and 

 then channelled above, narrowing below the middle, with a 

 recurved point shortly petiolate, articulate on the decurrent 

 portion on the stem, 4 to 6 lines long, the floral ones almost of 

 equal length. 



Flowers cream-coloured with a pinkish base, 4 to 6 lines long, 

 pedunculate near the ends of the branches, peduncles filiform, 

 recurved, 4 to 6 lines long, nodding, on pedicels of 1 to H lines 

 long, consistently in pairs. A single bract of about H lines 

 long between the two pedicels. 



Bracteoles forming a hood over the corolla and folded over 

 each other on the flower bud, and not falling oflf till the petals 

 expand, scarious on the edges, not Jceeled, pinkish at the base 

 and toning off to a cream colour at the hood or free end. Calyx - 

 tube cylindrical, 5 to 6 lines long, prominently 5-ribbed (as in 

 Darwinia) in the adnate part, lobes simply di^'ided into about 



