542 Ewart anci W/ute: 



It seems surprising that the presence of tliis plant in Australia 

 has been overlooked so long, but the older specimens of it had 

 been referred to various species of Galium and Asperula as 

 slender varieties of them, though really quite distinct. The 

 plant is undoubtedly native, the variety not being found else- 

 where, but has not been recognised owing to its small flowers 

 and slender character. 



Gnephosis Baracchiana, n. sp., Ewart and White 

 (after P. Baracchi). 



A woody herb about 3 inches high. The primary stems 

 unbranched or nearly so. Stems very slightly hair}-. Leaves 

 sparsely beset with minute hairs, lanceolate, with pointed tips, 

 about ^ inch long, very shortly petiolate, entire, alternate, 

 clusters of flower heads globular, terminal, with a short 

 peduncle and j^rovided with 5 to 8 outer foliose^ bracts not 

 projecting beyond the heads, and one to two layers of inner 

 Bcarious bracts, none of which exceed the florets in length. 

 Partial heads 1-flowered, the involucre of each floret consists of 

 6 outer narrow bracts, each provided near the top with a 

 tuft of fairly long hairs, and 3 inner broader and more 

 deciduous bracts ; all the bracts are scarious and concave, and 

 all have a midrib which is more pronounced in the outer than 

 in the inner bracts. Receptacle convex, and roughened on the 

 surface by the points of attachment of the florets. Florets 

 hermaphrodite, tubular and 5-merous, the pappus consists of 

 a flattened ring of minute scaly hairs attached to the base of 

 the corolla. Florets somewhat hardened at the base. Anthers 

 distinctly tailed at the base. Style branches truncate. Achene 

 compressed and surrounded by a conspicuous mucilaginous 

 layer, which swells up considerably in water. 



Salt swamp near Mission Station, Dimboola. St. Eloy 

 DAlton. 



This plant had been originally referred to Anc/ianthus, but 

 there are 9 bracts around each i^artial head of one flower. It 

 has an external resemblance to GnepJiosis skirrophora, but is 

 readily distinguished by the leaf-like bracts surrounding the 

 main heads, by the pappus aiul by the mucilaginous layer oti the 

 achene. 



