BY P. A. o'sHANESY, F.L.S. 743 



very common in the British Isles. We have not as yet noticed 

 the Ci/cadaceae, of which we saw but one representative, namely, 

 a species of Macrozamia, respecting which there is evidently some 

 mistake. M. spiralis is mentioned in the Flora Australiensis as 

 having been found at Springsure by Dr. Wuth, but the common 

 one in that neighbourhood is evidently not that species, and 

 most probably is the one mentioned from Springsure. The trunk 

 of the Springsure plant attains at least a height of twelve feet, 

 and is one foot thick ; leaves four to five feet long, the rachis flat, 

 and one inch broad between the pinnse near the base, with a 

 broad longitudinal furrow along the centre on both sides ; longest 

 pinnae about the middle of the leaf twelve to fourteen inches long 

 and more than half inch wide, narrowed at the base and tapering 

 into fine, straight pungent points : the lower pinnse are much 

 smaller, some not exceeding two or three inches in length. The 

 upper scales of the male cones are large and thick, with rigid 

 subulate points nearly two inches long ; the lower scales are 

 smaller and rather flat. Fruiting cones much larger than the 

 males, twelve to eighteen inches long, and four to six inches thick ; 

 the apex of the scales nearly two inches broad, thick, and very 

 convex, with rigid incurved points about one inch long, and 

 decurrent along the centre of the scale on each side, forming 

 raised angles or wings. The whole plant is apparently glabrous. 

 This species is mistaken by horticulturists for M. Peroivshiana, 

 ( Encephalartos Benisonii) from which however, it is entirely 

 different, nor does it agree with any species described in the 

 Flora Australiensis. 



The Gramineae or Grasses only remain to be noticed, and they 

 are, at least to the Squatter and the Selector, by far the most 

 interesting family of indigenous plants. "We found several 

 species of excellent grasses on the downs, but those most highly 

 prized for pasturage are Andropogon sericeus and A. pertusus. 

 These are known by the name of Blue Grass, and are considered 

 superior to the other grasses for fattening stock. A. refractus is 

 IV 



