32 



tlie disposition of the leaves, the paucity and petaloid colora- 

 tion of the involucre-bracts, as well as the approach to 

 universality in fruit-ripening flowers would warrant to assign 

 to the species sectional rank under the name JPetaJopliolis. 

 Systematically the plant should be placed nearest to E. Harrisii. 



Still more anomalous in the genus is E. Cunningliami through 

 its almost complete diclinism, and through its bisexual flowers 

 being provided with pappus-bristles to the number of five, as 

 shown in the lithogram xxxviii of the " Plants of Victoria." 



As a genus Epaltes shows also some affinity to ElacJianthus, 

 Isoetopsis, and Stuartina. 



[Read April 3, 1883.] 

 Achnophora. 



Mower-head heterogamous. Bracts in few rows, of unequal 

 leno-th, nearly ovate, not much pointed, membranous at the 

 margin, forming an almost hemispheric involucre. Receptacle 

 conically raised at its centre, bearing as many canalicular- 

 lanceolate deciduous bracts as flowers. Outermost flowers 

 ligulate and female, the other flowers bisexual, all fruit-bear- 

 ing. Corolla of the bisexual flowers tubular, slightly widened 

 upwards, terminated by five or rarely four deltoid very short 

 tooth-like lobes. Anthers narrow-acuminate, without basal 

 appendages. Stigmata short, capillary, neither truncated nor 

 dilated at the end. Achenes semiovate, wedge shaped, some- 

 what three or four-angular. vSegments of the pappus eight to 

 twelve, semilanceolar-subulate, flat, very slightly ciliated. 



A stemless glabrous herb, in appearance like the smaller 

 species of Brachycome, with bundles of short rather thick 

 rootlets with all the leaves radical filiform-linear and quite 

 entire, on broader clasping and rather long and mem- 

 branous stalks with elongated single-headed bractless flower- 

 stalks, with pale ligules and silky slightly compressed achenes. 



This new genus of Asteroide* differs from Nahlonium in the 

 involucral bracts being more unequal, in the development of 

 ray-flowers, in not distinctly bi-tailed anthers, in acute stig- 

 mata, as well as in the number and tender texture of the 

 pappus-segments. Prom Galotis it is at once removed by the 

 presence of bracts on the receptacle, as also by the structure 

 of the pappus, in which latter respect it is nearer Quinetia ; 

 from Erodiopliyllum and Ammohium it is still more widely 

 distant. But it shows among Extra- Australian genera some 

 approach to the South African Amellus, though it is readily 

 separable by habit, by more deciduous floral bracts and par- 

 ticularly by the pappus and achenes. 



