814 PLANTS OF NEW SOUTH WALES, 



On the Plants of New Soura Wales — No. VI. 



By the Eev. Dr. Woolls, D.D., F.L.S., &c. 



Class II. Monocotyledons. 



Of the monocotyledonous orders represented in Australia, eight 



have the ovary inferior, and of these the Orchids are by far the 



most numerous. In comparing the species recorded for the 



eastern colonies, the following is the result : 



Orders. Genera. Species. 



Victoria . . . . 4 . . 29 . . 76 



New South Wales . . 7 . . 51 . . 150 

 Queensland . . . . 8 . . 64 . . 129 



The numbers here given may be regarded simply as an 

 approximation, and as the scrubs of Queensland become better 

 known, the species for that colony will be considerably increased. 

 Imperfect, however, as the estimate is, it gives a fair idea of the 

 genera represented in the respective colonies and of the range to 

 which they are subject. Four orders, viz. Scitaminece, Bwrman- 

 niacecs, Taccacece, and Dioscoridece, do not extend to Victoria, but 

 the Orchidece are fairly distributed through the three colonies, 

 Victoria having 22 genera and 62 species, New South Wales 35 

 genera and 126 species, and Queensland 42 genera and 94 species. 

 In this section of the Monocotyledons, the Orchids are by far the 

 most interesting, as being one of " the most sharply defined and 

 numerous " of orders, and comprising some of the most beautiful 

 of Australian flowers. Dendrobium speciosum, was one of the first 

 species to invite the attention of early collectors, and Calanthe 

 veratrifolia, which has recently been found to extend to the Blue 

 Mountains, has long been cultivated in Europe. Phakis grandi- 

 folius is also another admired plant, but perhaps, the most 

 beautiful of orchids yet known in New South Wales is Sarcochilus 

 Fitzgeraldi, distinguished by its long racemes of flowers " snowy 

 white spotted with rich lake or maroon." This, as well as the 

 preceding, is elegantly figured amongst Mr. Fitzgerald's 

 "Australian Orchids." The species of Galeola are climbing, 



