

393 XXXII. OLACINEiE. [Olax, 



nate, entire, distichous leaves, tlie veins inconspicuous, except the midrib. 

 Plowers axillary, solitary in tlie Australian species, several in short racemes 

 or spikes in some otliers. . . . ■ ■.,.,.. 



The genus is confined to the Old AVorld, extending over tropical Asia and Africa. The 

 Australian species arc all endemic, and differ from dl except the E. Indian 0. naiia, \^all., 

 in their solitary axillary flowers and small leaves. They have all 5 petals, 3 stamens, and 

 5 staminodia. 



Queeuslaud. Moreton Island, M'GUlivray, F. Mueller 

 ueller to be a variety of 0. stricta; but besides the shape of tli 



T 

 "^ 





Staminodia undivided. 



Leaves oval or broadly oblong, retuse. Flowers glabrous inside. 



Staminodia subulate }, 0, phyllanthL 



Leaves narrow-obloag, mucronate. Staminodia linear, bearded at 



the base 3. 0. stricta. 



Leaves reduced to minute scales. Flowers densely bearded inside. 



Staminodia linear 5. 0. aphylla. 



Staminodia 2-cleft to the middle. 



Leaves rather thin, narrow, rctase (Eastern species) . . » . • 2. 0. retusa. 

 Leaves rather thick, from linear to obovate or obcordate (Western 



species) 4. 0. Benthamiana. 



1. O. ptyllanthi, K Br. Prod, 358. A shrub of 4 or 5 ft., the leafy 

 branches, when diy, having much the aspect of those of a Phyllanthvs, 

 Leaves oval or broadly oblong, trunetite or emarginate, from -|- to 1 in. long, 

 sessile, with a broad base, thin, glabrous, and somewhat glaucous. Pedicels 

 verj^ short, slender. Petals nearly 1^ lines long, glabrous. Filaments flat- 

 tened below^ the middle; staminodia glabrous, undivided, subulate, shorter 

 than in the other species. Fruit ovoid-globular, about 2 lines long.— ^/e?'- 

 maxyrum phyllanthi, LabilL PL Nov. Holh ii. 84, t. 233 (the figure incorrect as ^ 



. to the shape of the petals and anthers) ; Lopadocahjx phjllanthoidcs, Klotzsch, 

 in PL Preiss. i. 178, corrected to 0. phjllanthi, 1. c. IL 230. 



. "W. Australia, . King Georrre's Sound, LahiUardihe, K Brown, and others ; rocty \ 



places near Albany, Preiss, n. 1211, 



2, O. retusa, F. Muell. Ilerl. (as a var. of 0. stricta). A ghibrous 

 shrub, with the slender virgate branches of 0. stricta. Leaves linear-cuneate ^ 

 or narrow-oblong, truncate and emarginate, or almost 2-lobed, minutely mu- 

 cronate, rarely exceeding \ in. and smaller on the lateral branches, rounded 

 at the base. Pedicels very short. Flowers about 3 lines long. Filaments 

 glabrous, dilated at the base ; staminodia bearded below the middle, glabrous | 

 above and divided into 2 linear lobes. Fruit' ovoid-oblong, not exceeding 3 

 lines in the specimens seen, 



,,-,,, ^ . . .^ - - --- -• - This i3 believed by F. 



Mueller to be a variety of 0. stricta; but besides the shape of the leaves, which is nearer 

 to that of O.fhyllanthi, I have found, ia the few flowers I have been able to eiauiinc, the 

 staminodia always 2-cleft, as iu 0. Benthamiana and in the Indian species. 



/ 3. O. Stricta, H. Br. Prod, 358. An erect, glabrous shrub, of 2 or 3 

 ft., with slender virgate branches. Leaves narrow-oblong or linear, acute or 

 obtuse, but always mucronate, | to | in. or rarely | in. long, flat, with a pro- 

 minent midrib, narrowed or rarely rounded at the base. Pedicels scarcely 1 

 line long. Petals varying from 2 to 3 lines. Filaments flattened to very 

 tiear the anthers, glabrous j staminodia linear, entire, more or less bearded 

 below the middle. Fruit obovoid-oblong, often 4 lines long or rather more. 



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