20 



Salsolaceous Plants are marvels of learning, finish, and complete- 

 ness. Baron von Mueller is also the author of a handy little Flora 

 of Victoria, furnished with a useful dichotomous key ; and his. 

 " Select Extra-Tropical Plants" is not nearly as well known as 

 it should be among our planters, orchardists and farmers. How- 

 ever much we may regret the break in classification and 

 nomenclature between our standard " Flora" and the productions 

 of the Baron, we must at least concede to a worker of such 

 genius and experience the right to take his own course, since he 

 has, to guide him in his decisions, such an intimate knowledge of 

 his subject as is seldom vouchsafed to a single worker. During 

 the past year the monograph on the Salsolacea9 closed with its 

 tenth decade, having supplied illustrations and anatomical draw- 

 ings of all known Australian plants of this order so valuable 

 economically, since under the names of salt bush, blue bush, 

 grey bush, silver bush, cotton bush, and goosefoot, they yield the 

 major portion of the fodder in the Australian interior, and are 

 invaluable to our western graziers. The main feature in the 

 nomenclature of this order is the swollen genus Bassia, which 

 has swallowed like Aaron's rod the whole of its neighbours and 

 allies. At the present date the Baron has in hand an " Icono- 

 graphy of CandoUaceous Plants," of which one decade has passed 

 through the press. This is the order denominated in the 

 " Flora" Stylidieae. By replacing Labillardiere's title Decan- 

 dollea or Candollea for Swartz's generally accepted name Sty- 

 lidium, a series of intricate changes has been effected, Stylidium 

 has been ejected into Cornacefe, and Candollea has been ousted 

 from Dilleniacese ; and, while students are puzzled, the only 

 visible result has been the affixing of F. v. M. to whole columns 

 of plant names in the " Census," and the casting into shadow 

 of such reputations as those of Robert Brown, Bent ham, and 

 Lindley. 



The valuable work done by the Field Naturalists' Club of 

 Victoria is deserving of mention, and the sphere of usefulness of 

 the Club is daily increasing ; its organ the " Victorian Naturalist"' 

 commands the attention of every Australian student of botany, be- 

 ing now the vehicle through which Baron von Mueller publishes 

 to the world his descriptions of new plants, annotations, etc.. 

 Among Victorian cry.ptogamic botanists Mr. J. Bracebridge 

 "Wilson continues his valuable work in the collection and deter- 



