BY THE HEY. J. E. TENISOST-WOODS, F.L.S. 123 



thus : — Orders 93, Genera 394, (not including Filices) and species 

 1063. According to Baron von Mueller in the census published 

 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society for 1874, the orders were 

 about the same ; the genera, including Filices, were raised in 

 number to 501, and the species reduced to 979. The way to 

 account for this discrepancy is to bear in mind that in the early 

 appreciation of a flora many varieties are mistaken for species. 

 The number of genera are much reduced by Mueller, but new 

 discoveries have since been made of plants extending to Tasmania 

 which were not supposed to exist there. We might say generally 

 that the plants of Tasmania are about 1000, and the genera would 

 average about two species to each or half the number of plants. 

 This corresponds with What is generally known of islands. The 

 total number of species seems to be invariably less than any 

 given continental area of equal extent, and the number of genera 

 in proportion to species is also relatively larger. I shall presently 

 make a closer examination of the relations between the 

 Tasmanian flora and that of Brisbane, but I will first try to point 

 out the peculiarites of the latter, proceeding from orders to genera 

 and species. . 



If we compare the natural orders in Australia, first we find 

 according to Hooker, that the proportion which the largest 

 Natural Orders bear to the flora of the whole world, gives us the 

 following, arranged according to their numerical preponderance. 

 Composite, Leguminosce, Graminece, Orchidece. In Brisbane we 

 have the same orders, but in the following order Leguminosce, 

 Graminem, Composite, Orchidece. For Australia generally, it is 

 LeguminoscB, Myrtacece, Protcacea, Composites. This shows that the 

 flora of Brisbane is more in union with the world-flora generally 

 than with Australia — a result quite in harmony with the 

 preceding conclusion, taken from its tropical character. Taking 

 nine of the principal orders in their numerical order, from the 

 flora of the world, we have the following : — Composites, Leguminot ce 

 GframinecBj Orchidece, Ilubiuccce, Euplwrbiacecc, Labial ce, Myrtaeece, 



