550 LXXXVIII. ACANTHACEiE. [JustlCia. 



S. Australia, Near Akaba, R Mtieller ; Mount Serle, Warburton ; Purdie's Ponds, 

 Waterhouse ; Flinders Range, How'Ms Expedition. 



■f- I r * I ^ 



The species is a very common and variaWe weed throughout tropical Asia, extending mto 

 Africa. The Australian forms are chiefly narrow-leaved, either erect {J. jancea^Br.) ^^ 

 procumbent {J. adscendens, Br.), but there are several others \Yhich at first sight look very 

 distinct although couuected by numerous intermediates. The most remarkable are one with 

 very small ovate leaves, chiefly from Mount Serle, Warhurton^ and New Eugland, C Stuart, 

 and one with rather large ovate nearly sessile leaves, more glabrous and tending to dry black, 



,from Endeavour river, Ba7iks and Solander, Rockingham Bay, DaUaclvj, and a few others. 



.In one lusuriant specimen of F, Mueller's from Victoria river, some of the bracts show 

 a slight tendency to white margins, although but a very distaut approach to those of */. 

 j}€])loides, 



. 2. J. peploides, T, Anders, iii Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 511. Nearly 

 allied to J". 7^roc;/i/2 Jews, with siiuilar procumbent ascending; or rarely erect 

 •stems inflorescence and flowers. Leaves ovate obloug or broadly lanceolate, 

 on longer petioles than in /. procumbens^ and not so mnch contracted at the 

 base, usually pubescent. Spikes cylindrical, compact, f to 1^ in. long, very 

 rarely interrupted at the base. Flowers white, smaller than in /. procnmbens. 

 Bracts and bracteoles obtuse, bordered by a broad white margin. Calyx- 

 segments also somewliat membranous on the margin, but acute, — Rostellarid 

 peploides^ Nees, and other synonyms quoted by T. Anderson, 1. c. 



' Queensland, Erisbane river, Moreton Bay, A. Cunningham, F, Mueller, Heme, 

 C. Stuart, Also in E. India, but not so widely spread as J. procumlens, 



* 



3. J. hygropMloides, F. M^telL Fragm. vi. 89. An erect densely- 

 branched shrub, glabrous or minutely pubescent. Leaves ovate-lanceohite or 

 lanceolate, obtuse, narrowed into a short petiole, 1 to l^ or rarely 2 in. lo"S- 

 Flowers white or according to some labels yellow, in axillary clusters oi 2 to 

 6, surrounded by 3 or 4 very broadly obcordate or 2-lobed obtuse leafy 

 bracts, at least as long as the calyx and rather broader than long. ^f^\ 

 segments 5 or rarely 4, linear-subxdate, about 3 lines long. Corolla under 3 

 in. long, the tube shorter than the calyx, the lips as long as the tube, the 

 upper one concave and notched, the lower one broadly obovate, shortly divided 

 into 3 broad nearly equal lobes. Stamens nearly as long as the upper up. 

 the lower anther-cell with a basal appendage or spur. Capsule oblong, obtuse, 

 about as long as the calyx, the basal seedless part very variable in lengtu, 

 sometimes very short. Seeds 2 in each cell. 



Queensland. Brisbane river, Moretoa Bay, F. Mueller, C Stuart; Cape Couway, 

 A. Cunuingham; Rockiugbain Bay, Dallachg ; llockkampton, Ballachj, O'Shanesy^ 



m 



4. J. cavernarum, F. ILielL Fragm. vi. 91. Branches slender, appa- 

 rently dectimheat or divaricate, shortly hirsute or pubescent as well as^ue 

 foliage and inflorescence. Leaves petiolate, ovate, 1 to 1^ in. long. -Pedan- 

 cles m one axil of each pair of leaves, longer than the leaves, hearing at tue 

 end 2 sessile flowers, or forked with 2 sessile flowers at the end of eaca 

 branch. Bracts and bracteoles setaceous, shorter than the calyx. ^al}V 

 segraents hnear-setaceous, not 2 lines long. " Corolla small, pubescent out- 

 side, glabrous inside. Stamens 2; anthers 2-celled with the lower ceu 

 conspicuously spurred." 



Queensland. Mountaia caves near Rockkampton, Tho;:et. Described from fragm*"- 



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w 



