BY E. BREAKWELL. 53 



SO distinctly fan-shaped as in the others. My experience of the 

 grass in the field is that, while its rootstock is extremely per- 

 manent and drought-resisting, the foliage quickly withers under 

 drought-conditions. 



Panicum Benthami Domin. 



Hab. — Interior and northern tablelands of the State. The 

 grass occurs principally on the black or alluvial soils. 



Growth-form. — Tufted, extreme stem-development, bases of 

 stems hairy but not bulbous, leaves fairly coarse and rigid. 



Leaf-anatomy {¥'\g.\^) . — Stomata were seen only on the ventral 

 surface. On the dorsal surface, the bulliform cells (B.), arranged 

 in groups of five or six between the bundles, are large, and form 

 slight depressions. 



The bundles are of two kinds, viz., primary (M.B^), and a 

 special form of secondary (M. Bo j. Hypoderma is developed under 

 all the bundles. 



Conclusion. — The order of xerophytism of the Panic-grasses 

 according to their leaf-structure^ is thus as ioWov^s: - {\) Panicum 

 favidum, (2) P. decompositum, (3) P. Benthami, and {i)P. leuco- 

 phcEuyn. This corresponds, in my experience, to their behaviour 

 in the field. 



Eragrostis lacunaria F.v.M. 

 Hah. — ^In the interior of all the States, except Tasmania and 



Western Australia. In the interior of this State, it is very 

 common on the red soils. 



Growth form.— A. small, tufted grass, bases of stems not 

 bulbous, leaves rigid and rather coarse. 



Leaf-anatomy (Figs.11-12). — The epidermal cells on the ventral 

 surface are irregular in size. Trichomes are numerous. A 

 striking feature of some of these trichomes is their large size. 

 The latter are arranged on groups of four or five, large, epidermal 

 cells, somewhat fan-shaped in character; the whole structure 

 may be called a sub-papillose protuberance (S. p. P.). 



On the dorsal surface, groups of six bulliform cells occur 

 between the bundles; they are situated in depressions, and have 

 stomata (St.) on their edges. 



