56 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXIV. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF AUSTRALIA. 



No. v.* 

 By a. J. EwART, Ph.D., D.Sc, F.L.S., &c., Government Botanist. 

 (^Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, I3th May, 1907.) 

 Anthocercis odgersii, F. v. M. — Solanaceae. 



The record given of this species in the " Census of Australian 

 Plants " is incorrect. Mueller evidently confused Victoria Springs 

 with Victoria River. The correct locality is Queen Victoria 

 Springs, Western Australia, Young. 



In consequence the record given of this plant from Cowcowing, 

 Western Australia, Koch, in the Victorian Naturalist, vol. 

 xxiii., page 155, as being new for W.A., is an error based on 

 Mueller's record. The record should be W.A., not N.A. 



Dendrobium fellowsii, F. v. M. = D. gracilicaule, F. v. M. — 

 Orchidacese. 



This species is retained as, a valid one in the " Kew Index," 

 although considered by Bentham to be based on error, and 

 omitted by Baron von Mueller from the later editions of the 

 " Census." The only specimen extant consists of a shrivelled 

 stem bearing flovverless racemes, two leaves, and a few flowers 

 found on the ground. The flowers were considered by Bentham 

 to belong to B. gracilicaule, F. v. M., and the stem to D. sniillice. 

 The latter is, however, an error. Careful examination shows 

 clearly that the stem and racemes also belong to D. gracilicaule, 

 the peculiarity being that a greater number of racemes have 

 broken out earlier than usual, while the upper nodes are less 

 elongated, and still covered by the sheathing bases of the fallen 

 foliage leaves. Peculiarities of this kind are common among 

 orchids of this character, and D. fellowsii is, therefore, merely a 

 slightly abnormal state of I), gracilicaule, F. v. M. The retention 

 of this species in the " Kew Index" is possibly due to the fact 

 that Baron von Mueller did not publish the reasons for its sup- 

 pression. 



Eucalyptus leichhardtii, Bailey, Queensland Agricultural 

 Journal, 1906, vol. xvi., p. 493 = E. eximia, Schau., var. 

 LEICHHARDTII, Bailey — Myrtacese. 



In the case of a genus such as Eucalyptus, with its known 

 variability, it might be expected that some caution would be 

 exercised in founding new species, except upon well marked, 

 constant, and distinctive characteristics, especially when, as in 

 this case, specimens of the plant had already been referred by 



* No. I., in Vict. Nal., vol. xxiii., p. 42 ; No. II., in Proc. Royal Soc. of 

 Vict., vol. xix., part ii., p. 33; No. III., in Vict. Nat., vol. xxiv., p. 12; 

 No. IV., in Vict. Nat., vol. xxiv., p. 15. 



