193 
COHEESPONDENCE. 
Discovery q/'Cyatliea meduUaris and Aspidium tispidum in A^istralla. 
You will be glad to hear tliat Mr. Wilkinson, of tlie Geological Survey, has 
recently founds at Cape Otway, Cyathea medullaris and Aspidium hispidum. 
The latter Fern had previously not been met with out of New Zealand, and 
Cyathea is a genua entirely new to the Australian flora. 
Yours, etc., 
F. MtTEXLEK. 
Botanic Gardens^ Melbourne^ Feb, 10, 1865. 
Epacris \m:^r^%%d.,flore pleno. 
It is much to be desired that Mr. Henisley or yourself should furnish us 
with some further details respecting the double Epacris impressa mentioned in 
your last number. Tlowers become double in so many ways, as pointed out 
by Mr. Grindon {supra, p. 27), that the mere mention of a double flower is, as 
you are well aware, by no means sufficient for morphological purposes. Apart 
from the geographical interest attaching to the Epacris, it is possible that an 
examination of it may throw light on the nature of the scales at the base of the 
ovary, and which are placed opposite to its lobes, and not alternately with 
them. Whence this deviation from the ordinary rule ? In some allied genera 
there is an hypogynous disk, wliile in Filitis the scales are two-lobed, and in 
other genera the scales are replaced by tufts of villi. Again, some of the Epa- 
crids, e.g, Trochocarpa, have a ten-celled ovary, surroimded at the base by five 
scales; and in Oligarrliena there are only two stamens, four hypogynous 
scales, and a two-ceUed ovary. These illustrations wUl suffice to show that we 
stand in need of additional information to enable us to bind into a consistent 
whole these isolated structural diversities ; and as the double Epacris may by 
chance prove useful in this way, I trust we may be favoured with an account 
of the structure and arrangement of its parts. I may here allude to the im- 
portance of paying more attention than has hitherto been done to the venation 
of double flowers, as tliis often gives a clue to the true natm*e of the additional 
parts. 
Yours, etc., 
Maxwell T. Masteeb. 
May 3, 1865. 
Jfr. Milne s Botanical Explorations on the West Coast qf Africa, 
I have just returned from a long and interesting cruise. Mr. Latta, an en- 
terprising young man, was kind enough to give me a passage. We were in 
the district of Fernan Vas. We had occasion to pass through some miles of 
creeks which formed a complete network. We entered those creeks at Cape 
Lopez and came out at Fernan Vas. There is what is called the Bamboo 
