91 IX. CAPPARIDE.^. [Cap^aris. 



full grown 3 in. long, at first membranous, softly pubescent or tomentose, at 

 length stiff and usually glabrous, on petioles of about two lines. Pedicels 

 slender, 6 to 9 lines long, usually 6 to 8 together in terminal umbels, sessile 

 above tlie last leaves, or sometimes on short, lateral, leafless branches. Buds 

 small, globular. Outer sepals thin but stiff, equal, 2 to 2^ lines long, orbi- 

 cular, concave, slightly imbricate, glabrous, inner ones scarcely longer, much 

 imbricate. Petals about 3 lines long, pubescent. Stamens numerous. 

 Ovary glabrous, with 8 to 10 ovules to each placenta. Berry globular, 

 smooth, in our specimens not 1 in. diameter, on a stipes of 1 in. Seeds sepa- 

 rated by spmious partitions, 



N.Australia. Careening Bay, N.W. coast, A. Canningliam ; barren plains of tlie 

 ritzmaurice and Victoria rivers, ¥, Mueller ; Gulf of Carpentaria, i2. Brown ; Port Essmg- 



ton, Armstrong, 



Qtieensland. Cape York, J/' G^f/&my ; Port Denison, Fzto/*^;*, 



The species is most nearly allied to the common Indian C. sepiaria, diflering chiefly m iis 



sessile umbels and less numerous flowers, 



2. C. lasiantha, R. Br, m BO. Prod. i. 247. A mucb-branched sbrub, 

 clothed with a soft tomentura, usually rust-coloured on the young branches 

 and inflorescence, afterwards paler, and sometimes disappearing on the old 

 leaves. Leaves from ovate to nan*ow-oblong or almost lanceolate, obtuse, 1 

 to 2 in. long, rounded at the base, with a very short petiole, thickly cona- 

 ccous when fidl gi*own, with very oblique primary nerves. Pedicels axillary, 

 solitary or 2 together one above the other, much shorter than the leaves. 

 Outer sepals very concave and unequal, slightly imbricate, softly tomentose, 

 the larger one about 3 Unes long and almost saccate.at the base ; inner sepals 

 and petals ovate, 4 to 5 lines long, very tomentose outside. Stamens about 

 12. Ovary glabrous, with 10 to 12 ovules to each placenta. Young fruit 

 ovoid, on a slender stipes of 1^ in. 



]^J. Australia. N.W. coast, J. Cmininf/harn ; Yictoria river, F, Mueller i Thomson 

 river, J, C, Gregory, 



Queensland. ^.E. coast . R, Brown ; Narran river, Mitchell; Brisbane rivet, -4' 

 Cunningham (from a specimen without flowers). 



N. S. ^Valea, Tributaries of the Upper Darling river. Bowman, 



3. C, quiniflora^ DC. Trod. i. 247. Branches weak and flexuose, the 

 yonng ones and very yonng leaves rnsty-tomentose, but soon becoming g''"^" 

 brous. Leaves ovate, obtuse or acuminate, 3 to 4 in. long, rounded or ahuost 

 cordate at the base, on petioles of 3 to 4 lines, rather coriaceous. Pedicels 

 usually under \ in. long, 3 to 5 together, one above the other, in lateral clus- 

 ters along the leafless tops of the side-branches, or above the upper axils. 

 Outer sepals thin, slightly pubescent, nneqnal, the larger one saccate at the 

 base and about 3 lines long; inner sepals and petals longer, oval-oblong, p^^- 

 bescent. Stamens few. Emit glabrous, globular, ^ to 1 in. diameter, on a 

 stipes of about 1 in. Some barren shoots, with very small ovate, rhomboid, 

 or oblong leaves, assume a totally different aspect from the rest of the plant. 



K, Australia. N. coast, Baudin. 



Queensland. N.E. coast, R. Broicn, A. Cunningham; Cape York, irGillivran; 

 llaiamoud Island, Torres Straits, Ragucr. Also in New Caledonia. 



4. C. nummidaria, DC. Prod, i. 246. A low glabrons shrnb, prostrate 



