REVISION OF THE NATURAL ORDER HEDERACE. 243 
The genus Brassaia, though well defined by Endlicher, has not 
been recognized by other botanists. Several years after its publication 
(1843) Bentham described a new Hederacea from New Guinea, which 
he referred to Sciadophylium, and which, in 1856, was transferred to 
Paratropia by Miquel, though he had not seen the plant; and, in order 
to admit it into that genus, had to amplify the generic character. 
More recently the same author, still unaware of the existence of Bras- 
sia, established the genus Parapanaz upon two Sumatran species, with- 
out, however, suspecting that his Paratropia macrostachya was con- 
generic with one of them. It is to be hoped that, in future, this truly 
natural genus will be more generally recognized. We now know repre- 
sentatives of it from tropical New Holland, New Guinea, Amboyna, 
and Sumatra, and the intermediate regions will doubtless supply addi- 
tional species. 
1. B. actinophylla, Endl. Nov. Stirp. Mus. Vindob. Decad. i. p. 89; 
Walp. Rep. i. p. 430, v. p. 925; F. Mueller, Fragmenta, ii. p. 108.— 
Tropical parts of Eastern Australia gine Joseph Banks! A. Cunning- 
ham! n. 484, of Second ‘ Mermaid’s’ Voyage in Mus. Brit., Robert 
Brown! in Herb. Hook.) 
This fine tree was first discovered by Sir Joseph Banks, next found by 
Robert Brown, and afterwards met with **at Pine Head and similar 
situations " of the east coast of New Holland, north of Endeavour River 
A. Cunningham, who, in his journals sent to Sir J. Banks, enume- 
rates it under n. 484, as an Urticacea, appending to it the following 
note :—“ Amentum [capitulum] 8—10-florum, subglobosum, pedicel- 
latum, pedicello crasso. Flores 12-andri, hermaphroditi, Calyx semi- 
superus, subcyathiformis, pegs [i. e. petalis] apice conniventibus deci- 
duis, 3-bracteatus. Stam. 12, antherifera, calyci inserta. Anth. 2-lo- 
varium 10-loculare. tigm. sessile, radiatum.—Arbuscula 
16-20 ped. ramis crassis brevibus, foliis 7—12-nis, foliolis ellipticis 
petiol. glabris mucronatis obtusis." From Dr. F. Mueller (Fragm. l. c.) 
we learn that Mr. Charles Moore found this tree near Boyn River, 
Mr. Eug. Fitzalan near Port Molle, and Leichhardt in those parts of E. 
Australia which he crossed. By the last-named author the tree is stated 
to be forty feet high, and the leaflets varying in number to sixteen. 
According to Ch. Moore the flowers are said to be scarlet, but this 
statement is not confirmed from what is known from other sources, nor 
borne out by an inspection of the specimens before me. In the copy of 
R2 
