122 ON THE RELATIONS OF THE BRISBANE FLORA, 



obtains its developement in the South-east, the rest have their 

 maximum in the South-west.*' None of those orders which are 

 either peculiar to Australia, or have their greatest developement 

 in Australia, or which are peculiarly characteristic of the 

 continental flora ; none of these have their maximum in the 

 Tropics. But on the other hand in those large orders which are 

 well represented in Australia, but which are not peculiar to it, 

 we find the greatest number in the Tropics of the Continent. 



These facts will prepare us for some of the facts which an 

 examination of the Brisbane flora will manifest. We must 

 remember that we are dealing with the least Australian portion 

 of its flora, or rather the confines of the least Australian portion. 

 Dr. Hooker in his essay, brings the tropical #ft*a on the East 

 side as far South as Brisbane, and on the Westside, still lower. 

 If it be understood by this that the majority of the species found 

 within these limits are tropical, or such as are usually found in 

 the Tropics, it would not be correct, as far as Brisbane is concerned. 

 The flora there is strictly intermediate ; the tropical and temperate 

 Australian species are about equally divided. There are in fact 

 about an equal number of the plants found in the Brisbane flora, 

 which extend into New South Wales on the one hand, or into 

 the Tropics on the other. 



In the Brisbane flora we have 123 Nat. orders, 633 genera and 

 1228 species. This gives an average of 5 genera and 10 species 

 nearly for each order, and about 2 species for each genus. The 

 flora in itself is seen from these figures to be somewhat large and 

 very diversified. It is however, less than Great Britain, which 

 numbers about 1400 flowering plants. In this it is in harmony with 

 the whole flora of Australia, which in proportion to its extent is 

 also very large and diversified. Comparing it numerically with 

 Tasmania it is very much superior. Hooker gives the numbers 



* This must only be regarded as approximate, because when local floras are 

 published some of the orders may be found to have their maximum 

 intermediate between the S. E. and S. "W. extremities of the Continent. 



