Florn of Ati.stralla. 265 



Stera subspinescens, Ewart and Rees. (Compositae.) 

 (Pluchea conocephala, F. v. M., var. subspinksckns). 



Near Hunt's Well, West Australia. 



Irregularly branched shrub covered with slight woolly brown 

 vestiture, which has disappeared from older parts. Many of the 

 lateral branches end in blunt spines. Leaves somewhat scat- 

 tered, 2-4 lines long, lanceolate covered with brownish hairs. 

 Heads terminal on short lateral branches, about 4-5 lines long 

 and 2 lines broad. 



Bracts somewhat scaly with hairs on outer surface, varying 

 in shape and size from ovate, 1 line long on the outside, to 

 linear about 5 lines long on the inside. 



Florets hermaphrodite, 5 in each head protruding slightly 

 beyond involucre, corolla elongated, cylindrical, 5 segments 

 almost erect. Stamens 5, sagittate at base, connective forming 

 blunt process above. Anthers reaching mouth of corolla tube. 

 Achene about ^ line long, not so slender as in S. conocephala 

 and >S'. inicroiDhylla. Pappus wavy at base, barbed closely at 

 tip. 



These plants were originally, but only provisionally, given 

 under Olearia as Olearia covocej'^lictJa by Bentham, and later 

 transferred by Mueller to Pluchea, from which, however, it 

 differs in several important respects. The original description 

 is given in the Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae, Vol. V., 

 p. 79, as follows : — 



Aster conocephala. 



Fruticose, hairy tomentose. Leaves small, 2-4 lines long, 

 alternate obovate to spathulate, sessile flat entire. Heads ter- 

 minal solitary, few flowered, rather larger. Involucral bracts 

 oblong, cylindrical to obconical, in several rows, imbricate, 

 scaly, no ligules. Florets extending beyond involucre. Florets 

 bisexual, 4-5 in head, 4 lines long. Corollas elongated, cylin- 

 drical in form, teeth erect. Achenes thin, slender glabrous. 

 Pappus bristles becoming yellow and feathery except at base, 

 interior longer, outer rather smaller and shorter. 



Other references are to be found in the Transactions and Pro- 

 ceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol. 24, p. 138 ; 



