AUSTRALIAN AND SOUTH SEA ISLAND STICTACE^ 259 



32. Zahlbruckner, Dr. A. von. — Engler und Prantl. — Die 



Natiirlichen Pflanzenfamilien (Stictaceae, p. 185) (1898- 

 1908). 



33. Lindsay, Dr. Lauder. — " Observations on New Zealand 



Lichens and Fungi from Otago." — ^Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin., 

 vol. xxxiv., pp. 407-456 (1866). [Plates xxix., xxx.]. 



History of Australasian Lichenology. 



The earliest record that we have of the Lichen Flora of Aus- 

 tralasia or Polynesia, is that by George Forster (7), who in 1786 

 recorded five Lichens from Polynesia. 



John Reinhhold Forster and his son, George Forster, accom- 

 panied Captain Furneaux of the " Adventure," which left England 

 in 1772, on Captain Cook's second voyage. 



In those days very little was known of Lichens as representing 

 separate genera, except the divisions created by Dillenius in his 

 -" Historia Muscorum," so that it is not surprising to find that 

 Forster did not attempt to classify his small collection of Lichens 

 into genera, nor did he attempt to name them specifically, but 

 records them as Lichens under Nos. 584-588. 



From an examination of the specimens and MSS. of the 

 Forsters, it has been found that New Zealand was visited, and we 

 have a definite record of one species of Lichen collected by Forster 

 given by Georg Francisc Hoffmann, who gives a description and 

 excellent drawing of one Lichen under No. 584 in Forster's Her- 

 barium, vmder the name of Platisma filix. 



In Hoffmann's work the genera and species are divided ch'efly 

 by the structure of their thallus, very Httle attention being given 

 to the apothecias or receptacles of the spores, which are in our time 

 considered to be the most important structures of these plants. 

 Under these circumstances it is only natural to find that modem 

 Lichenologists have revised the Lichens published by Hoffmann, 

 and, as a consequence of such revision, it has been found necessary 

 to re-habilitate Hoffmann's Platisma filix under the name Sticta filix, 

 because of the distinct fruits, and the cyphella; on the under-surface 

 of the thallus, the latter being one of the chief characteristics of the 

 genus Sticta. 



General Characters of Australian Lichens. 



The numerous species of Stictacece found in Australia and the 

 neighbouring Islands differ in some respects from that of any other 

 part of the world. In some species there is a general superficial 

 resemblance to those found in the southern parts of America, and 

 the afiinities of certain species are also very closely allied, and in a 

 few cases the species are identical with several found in Madagascar, 

 but, generally speaking, it can safely be said that the lichenose 

 vegetation is just as peculiar to Austraha as has been found in the 

 higher class of vegetation. 



