THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 177 



The bending of the stem by too vigorous a growth in one 

 direction therefore tends to operate in two ways — first to cause 

 new growths to appear on the side opposite to that in which the 

 parent stem is bent and to cause a free flow of sap in that 

 direction, and secondly to prevent new growths from appearing 

 on the side which has already become too strong and heavy, 

 and to restrict the growth of the branches on that side by 

 partially constricting the vessels which convey the various juices 

 to them. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF VICTORIA. 



No. XIII. 



By F. M. Reader, F.R.H.S. 



{Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, IZtli Feb., 190j.) 



Notes on Geococcus pusillus, J. Drummond. 

 Recently I have had opportunities of examining and watching 

 the growth of a number of specimens of the cruciferous plant, 

 Geococcus pusillus, Drummond, and find tiiat in a depauperated 

 state only it produces no stems. When nourished it is provided 

 with distinct, but short, prostrate or ascending tufted stems and 

 branches, and in the centre of these tufts are several flowers. 

 Shortly below the apex of the stems the leaves arise, which a 

 little higher up are clustered, and in these clusters flowers again 

 emanate ; in more luxuriant plants from this point arise branches 

 with leaves again at the top and flowers in the centre, and in 

 this manner the plant may spread out to a certain extent. 



The leaves are different from those of Sisymbrium car- 

 damiiioides, F. v. M. The lobes at first are obliquely-deltoid, 

 or some narrower ; later on some of them are provided with a 

 tooth, or shortly incised, and generally are of a more uniform 

 size and shape. The ultimate lobes are confluent, or three-Iobed, 

 or the ultimate lobe is free and usually of an oblong or oval 

 shape. 



The flowers are minute, about yi line long, with thick peduncles, 

 which soon recurve ; the sepals concave and broader than the 

 petals, with the whitish margin narrowly membranous ; the petals 

 shorter, as long as, or somewhat longer than, the sepals, in out- 

 line oblong or oval, slightly tapering downwards ; the filaments 

 comparatively broad and tapering upward, and the style is sessile, 

 broad and entire. 



The pod is from oblong-linear to oblong and efliptical and 

 bilobed at the base, and valves are prominently i -nerved; 

 seeds few, and arranged in two rather distinct series, oblong, 

 without a margin, and with long funicles ; cotyledons incumbent ; 

 the radicle is facing the sides of the cotyledons. 



Although the longer stamens by their length are adapted to 

 autogamy, and the flowers inconspicuous, they are not truly 



