BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 81 



nata of Fraser; a lesser bipinnated one, which you perhaps 

 consider only a variety; and the curious spiral-leaved one 

 which agrees with Diplophragma in the form of the seed-ves- 

 sel and habit of the plant, but has little resemblance in the 

 flowers. Mr Brown describes the Z>. hipinnata of Fraser as 

 having wings at the end of the seed, and that is the case with 

 my D. spiralis; but the lesser bipinnated one has the wings 

 of equal breadth all round the seed. The flowers of Fraser's 

 plant are very rarely produced, and the seeds extremely so, 

 I have none by me at present. 



" I have here met with a curious plant which I think must 

 form a new Genus nearly allied to Mesembryanthemum. The 

 seed-vessels are peculiar and beautiful; and, contrary to the 

 nature of most plants, they open when in a moist state, and 

 shut when dry. When the valves are expanded, they bear 

 some resemblance to the flowers of Hoya carnosa. It is my 

 intention to send you some of these seed-vessels by the first 

 opportunity, and you have only to put them into water, when 

 they will expand and show their curious structure. I observe 

 that they remain on the plants for years after the seeds are 

 ripe, opening with every shower of rain, and even with the 

 moist atmosphere of the night, closing in dry weather and 

 during the day. The plant grows in large patches, many 

 yards in extent, resembling the Hottentot-fig in its leaves. 

 Its place of growth is on sandy ground near a spring, called 

 Uibachgoin, in the desert country which I have described in 

 my letter sent home by the Shepherd. 



" I intend starting in a few days on a botanical excursion 

 overland in the direction of King George's Sound, and pur- 

 pose being absent about two months. When I return, you 

 shall hear from nie, or I may, if I can find an opportunity, 

 write you from the Sound. Mr Preiss has left this for King 

 George's Sound. He intends visiting South Australia. I, 

 for my part, shall keep a Journal of any thing I may ob- 

 serve in Natural History, and send it to you on my return." 



P.S. " We have at length discovered the plant which has 

 destroyed so many of our sheep, goats, and cattle, in the man- 



Vol. IV.— No. 26. L 



