175 



Notes on Microstemma tubeeosum, B. Broion. 



This plant belongs to tlie order Asclepiadeae, and was origi- 

 nally described by Eobert Brown from specimens collected by 

 bim on islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria ; a half -century later 

 Baron Mueller found it on the Burdekin. The specific name 

 is in allusion to its tuberose underground stems : the tuber, not 

 much unlike a potato, is circular in outline, depressed, two or 

 three inches in diameter. These characters are drawn from 

 specimens received from Inspector Foelsche, who obtained 

 them near Palmerston. Under Mr. Mohan's care, a tuber 

 planted November 30, 1882, developed a slender simple branch 

 one-and-a-half foot high, with distant linear leaves, terminat- 

 ing in a short raceme of dark-coloured inconspicuous flowers, 

 which appeared towards the middle of February. 



Inspector Foelsche writes: — "By the aid of the natives I 

 have found a bulb plant . . . the bulb of which is eaten by 

 them, and I have eaten it myself. It resembles very much a 

 white turnip, and when boiled does not taste unlike it ; the 

 natives eat them raw or roasted. The plant grows plentifully 

 at Palmerston and neighbourhood." JR. Tate. 



Note on the peesence of "Tannin" in the " Polygonum" 

 OF Exploeees. By Professor E. Tate. 



Being aware that tannin exists in many plants of the Order 

 Polygonaceae, I turned my attention to the " Polygonum-bush" 

 of explorers, botanically known as MueliJenhecJtia Cunninghamii, 

 as a probable economic source of that valuable substance. The 

 results of two experiments on the dried twigs gave a mean of 

 only 3"038 per cent, of tannin, a ratio far too low to render 

 the plant commercially valuable. 



BIBLIOaEAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Synonymy of Austealian Maeine Mollttsca By J. Brazier, 

 Proc. Lm.' Soc, N.S.W., viii., pp. 224-23i. 



Among others, references are made to the following South 

 Australian species : — 



Natica JBaconi, Angas=iV. Incei, Philipi. 

 Cancellaria undulata, Angas=Ar. granosa. 

 JLucina Cumingi, Ad. and Angas=i. dentata, Wood sp. 

 Modiolaria harhata. 



