Flora of Australia. 139 



Bailey admits thart. his S. Benthami, and his var. minor of S. 

 virginicus probably foiiu the var. pallida of S. virginicus, recog- 

 nised by Bentham, and even a cursor}'- examination of the 

 material at the National HerbaJi'ium would "have shown that the 

 new specie.- was untenable. 



Given as new to New South Wales (L. Cudgellic-o) by Maiden 

 and Betche, Proc. Limi. Soc. N.S.Wales, 1906, Vol. XXXI., p. 

 739. 



Tunica prolifera (L.) Scop., var. velutina (T. velutina, 

 Fisch. and Meyer). (Caryophyllaceae). 



This naturalized alien was recorded by Mueller as T. velutina in 

 Vict. Nat. X., p. 145, 1893, and by Reader as T. polifera, in Vict. 

 Nat., XX., p. 88, 1903. Both species are given as valid in the 

 Ke.v Index, and in Boissier'i^ Flora Orientalis. T. velutina dif- 

 fers from T. prolifera mainly in having leaves with smooth 

 edges (instead of minutely toothed), hairy internodes (instead of 

 glabrous), longer leaf-sheaths; and smaller seeds. None of these 

 features are constant ; haiiy specimens may have rough-edged 

 leaves, and some specimens of T. velutina have the lower leaves 

 minutely toothed entirely or in part. The length of the leaf- 

 «heath may vary on one and the same specimen, as may also the 

 size of the seeds. Hence the species must be reduced to a variety 

 of T. prolifera, joined to that species by intervening forms. 

 Most of the Victorian specimens belong to the variety velutina, 

 but some of Mueller's are intermediate in character. 



Mount Ararat, Nov., 1883, D. Sullivan ; Upper Murray River, 

 C. French, 188'6 ; Clyde Mts., N.S.W., Oct., 1888, W. Bauerlen ; 

 Delatite. 1890 and 1891, Rev. R. Thorn, Goulbourn River, 1892, 

 W. F. Gates; near Lake Urana, N.S.W., 1894, G. Luehmann, 

 Jnr. ; near Seymour, 1902, Mrs. F. M. Reader. 



