Snrsaria.] xii. pittospore^. 115 



or 2 in each cell, flat, reniform, not winged.— Eigid, mncli branched shmbs 

 or trees, often thorny. Leaves small, entire. Flowers small, in terminal 

 panicles. Sepals very fugacious. 



The geuus is limited to the following one or perhaps two Australian species. 



^ L B. spinosa, Cav. Ic, iv. 30, t. 350. A shrub or small tree, occa- 

 sionally attaining the height of 40 ft., in the ordinary state glabrous, and 

 when young very bushy, the smaller branches often reduced to short subulate 

 thorns. Leaves very variable, most frequently clustered, obovate, oblong or 

 cuneate, obtuse, truncate or notched, 1 to 1 in. lou^r, narrowed at the base. 



and sometimes shortly petiohite, green on both sides; in luxuriant specimens 

 they vary to oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2 in. long ; in a few others they liave oc- 

 casionally a few coarse teeth at the top ; and in the var. 'uicaua they are 

 thicker, and white underneath with a silky toaieutum. Flowers white, usually 

 vei'y numerous, in a broad, pyramidal, terminal panicle, arranged along its 

 brandies in short racemes, on pedicels of 1 to 3 liues ; occasionally the pani- 

 cles are reduced to short racemes or to 1 or 2 terminal flowers. Bracts minute 

 and very fugacious. Sepals small, also falling oft' long before the petals open. 

 Petals naiTow, about 2 lines long. Capsule 3 to 4 lines or, in the var. incana, 

 sometimes 5 lines broad.— DC. Prod. i. 347 ; Bot. Mag. t. 1767 ; Hook. f. 



ri. Tasm. i. 39 ; F. Muell PL Vict. i. 74 ; Ilea smuosa, Andr. Bot. Jim. 

 t. 314, 



N, Australia. Aboat the Gulf of Carpentaria, rare, and only tbe var. incana, F, 

 Mueiler; N.E. coast, J, Cannhigham. ' 



Qneenslaad- Brisbane river, Moreton Bay, and near "Warwick, F. Mueller, 



N. S. "Wales, Common in all forrst lant^s, R. Brown, Bieher, n. 281, and others. 



Victoria, Coniuiou iu all the lowlands as well as iu the mountain districts, F. Mueller, 



Tasmania. Abundant throughout the island, /. D. Hooker. 



S. Australia. Extends westward at least to Strcakj Bay, F. Mueller. 



W. Australia. Champion Bay, OUlfield, only the var. incana. 



Var. (?) Incana. Yonng shoots, inflorescence, and nudor side of the leaves white or hoarj, 

 With a soft and dense, or dose and thin tomentum> In the original specimens the leaves are 

 ^ to 3 in. long, but they pass gradually, in other specimens, into small obovate or oblong 

 ones. They are, however, usually more robust, and the flowers, and especially the fruits, 

 rather larger than in the normal B. sphiosa.—B. incana, Lindl. in Mitch. Trop. Austr 

 224. This appears to be the more common variety in the tropical and subtropical regions, and 

 the only one hitherto found In North or West Australia. It extends also southward to the 

 desert tract on the Murray and Snowy rivers, iu Victoria. I feel much hesitation in follow- 

 Jng F. Mueller in uniting the two forms iu one species. 



A third rather distinct variety, or perhaps a peculiar state of the common one, has very 

 small leaves, numerous thorns, aiid only very few flowers, with longer and more permanent 

 sepals. Very characteristic specimens were collected on the Glcnclg river by Mr. Ro- 

 oertson. 



* . - ' 



4. MAEIANTHUS, Hueg. 



(Calopetalum, Ilaiv. ; Oucosporum, Puttcrl. ; and Rhytidosporam, F. Muell.) 



"Petals connivent at the base or above the middle, spreading at the top. 

 Anthers oblong or ovate, shorter than the filaments. Ovary sessile or shortly 

 stipitate, usually completely 2-celled, glabrous, except very rarely in M. laxi- 

 florm. Capsule ovoid or oblong, turgid or slightly compressed, membranous 

 or slightly coriaceous, the valves sometimes splitting scpticidally. Seeds 

 ovoid, reniform or globular.— Undershrubs, with procumbent, flexuose, or more 



1 2 



