140 Neue Litteratur. 



That so remarkable, and to some extent also showy plant should have 

 evaded hithertho Observation, although since almost nearly 100 years the 

 region about tbe estuary of the Derwent has beeu searched for plants, 

 rinds perhaps its explanation in the fact, that in all likelihood the flower 

 only is peeping above the soil between decaying foliage, and thus might 

 be easily taken for a young Aseroe or some other fungus, especially as 

 the smell would lead also to that conclusion. Furthermore, each flower 

 must be very ephemerous and perishable, and falls probably also quickly 

 to the prey of various insects, attraeted by the odour. Even iu Europe 

 the Epipogum Gmelini is often overlooked, when it merely emerges among 

 rotten Fagus-lenves , particularly as the flowers are not high-coloured. 

 After now,. through Mr. Rodway's circumspeetness, the Tasmanian 

 Thismia became not only known, but also its manner of growth elucidated, 

 it will likely be fonnd in other plaees of the Island there, perhaps also 

 in New Zealand and in Continental Austraha. It should further be ascer- 

 tained, whether it lives exclusively on the roots of the Musk-Aster, or 

 whether it is nourished also by the roots of any other plants. How restricted 

 some parasites are in this respect is demonstrated in Tasmania and Victoiia 

 by the Cyttaria Gunnii, which never occurs on any other tree than Fagus 

 42unningJiami, all other Cyttarias oceurring also only on Beech-trees. 



For Australian phytogeography the findiug of a Thismia, not as might 

 have been looked for in North-Eastern Australia, but in such an extreme 

 -extratropic Isolation, is one of the mo.-t remarkable additions to our receut 

 knowledge in this direction. But the discovery of this plant is also in 

 other respects of special interest, because it shows that the genera Geo- 

 mitra and Bagnisia should be united with Thismia, the merging of Geo- 

 mitra into Bag>/isia having already (1883) been advised by Bentham and 

 Hooker, a view acted on by Engler in the „Pflanzen-Familien", Lief. 21. 

 p. 48 (1888). Those who prefer smaller genera for systematie arrange- 

 ments against more natural and more easily employed larger genera with 

 subdivisions, might assign to our uew plant even generic rank, then as 

 Boduaya, but such a Separation would mainly rest on the reduction of 

 three of the calyx-lobes to extreme minuteness, and on the coalescence 

 of the tips of the longer calyx-lobes somewhat in the manner of the South- 

 wellias within the otherwise far disallied genus Sterculia; in typieal Thismio 

 the lobes are perfectly disuuited, much differing as regards form in various 

 species, while in Bagnisia and Geomi/ra they are variously united. Adopting 

 all these plants for one generic group, we would obtain chiefly chrono- 

 logically the following arraugement, so far as the species are hitherto 

 known ; but their series will likely in the course of time receive consi- 

 derable augmentation yet. 



1. Thismia Brunoniana ; Griffith in the Transact. of the Linnean Soc. 

 XIX. 341—344. T. 39 (1844). Tenasserim. 



2. Thismia Gardneriana; J. Hook er in Thwaites enuni. plant. Ze3'lan. 

 325 (1864). Ceylon. 



S. Thismia Macahevsis ; Bentham and J. Hooker, Gen. plant. III. 

 45y (18»3) implied. 



Ophiomeiis Macahmsis ; Miers in Transact. Linn. Soc. XX. 374 — 379, 

 T. 15 (1847). Rio de Janeiro. 



This and the closely allied 0. Ignassuensis (Miers, 1. c.) have an 



•obliquely bulging calyx, free stamens, bicaudulate-filaments and upwards 



converging anther-cells, so that the genus Ophiameria, against the views 



of B. and 11. might perhaps be kept up. 



4. Thismia hyalina; Bentham and J. Hook er, Gen. plant. III. 459 



(1883) implied. 



Myostcrno hyaJinmn ; Miers in Transact. Linn. Soc. XXV. 474 — 475. 

 T. 17 ( i 866). Organ-Mountains. 



This agaiu might generieally be held apart on account of the dis- 

 counected stamens with free very thin filaments and sagitate anther- 

 connective, particularly so, should no transits tho these characters be dis- 

 <;overed in any yet unknown species. 



