THE VICTORIAN NATUKALIS'I. 115 



able period — i.e., until they attain the texture of mature leaves 

 and a diameter of nearly 3 inches. 



Mature Foliage. — In dried specimens of a greasy lustre, broadly 

 lanceolate to nearly orbicular. Sessile to petiolate, with a petiole 

 of an inch or more. Base of leaf tapering into the petiole or 

 cordate. Apex of leaf rounded or tapering to a blunt or even a 

 sharp point. Margin often more or less crenulate, particularly in 

 young leaves. Midrib very prominent, the lateral veins distant 

 and roughly parallel, and making an angle of about 45" with the 

 midrib. Twigs round to nearly quadrangular. 



Buds. — Blunt, almost ovoid, and small ; operculum tending to 

 be slightly conical ; glaucous. 



Fruits. — Nearly hemispherical, small, say ,\-inch in diameter, 

 rim prominent, tips of valves rather well exserted, valves four in 

 my specimens. Fruits sessile on a short strap-shaped common 

 peduncle, from three to eight or nine in a head, in the axils of the 

 leaves. 



Habitat. — It grows in swampy places in the upper parts of 

 Livingstone Creek, near the Great Dividing Range, about 20 

 miles up the stream from Livingstone, usually called Omeo 

 (A. W. Howitt, who collected the specimens, and from whom I 

 received them). 



Affinities. — The affinity of this species is closest to E. kitsoni, 

 Luehmann, and F. agyregata, Deane and Maiden. 



(a) From the former it differs in the juvenile leaves. There is 

 a general resemblance in the mature foliage, but the leaves of 

 F. kitsoni are narrower lanceolate, and more markedly veined. 

 The buds are larger and more angular in F. kitsoni, while the 

 fruits are considerably different. 



With F. aggregata the affinity is less close, though one cannot 

 resist the conviction that the relations of the three species are 

 marked. 



{h) In F. aggregata the juvenile foliage is narrower, more oval, 

 and less, if at all, cordate at the base, the venation is more 

 spreading, the buds are more slender, with narrower peduncles 

 and longer (though not long) pedicels (often the fruits of F. 

 aggregata are quite capitate), the twigs are less quadrangular, the 

 fruits smaller, and have (apparently) a greater tendency to have 

 the valves in threes. 



To what extent hybridism is responsible for the origin of these 

 three forms remains to be ascertained. 



(c) F. incrassata, Labill., var. conglobata. 



The resemblance of F. neglecta to the above variety is worthy 

 of note ; the resemblance of F. kitsoni to the variety is 

 closer. 



(d) F. gunnii, Hook., f. 



This new species displays in bark, juvenile foliage, &c., con- 



