SECTION I: G. STURTII 63 



by other circumstances than the nature of their flosses. In Chapter IV., 

 for example (pp.343-50), it will be seen that I endeavour to show that 

 the pollen-grains of the species and varieties of Gossypium would seem 

 to manifest certain characteristics that might almost be utilised in 

 systematic descriptions. The members of the present group support 

 the opinion that they are all wild plants by one and all of them 

 exemplifying the fairly constant rule of each having a distinctive 

 pollen-grain of its own, and by none of them apparently possessing 

 more than one form of grain. 



Distribution. The geographical distribution of this assemblage of Cotton 

 cottons is very striking. Starting from Lower California and Cerros 

 Islands (28 north latitude) they are carried south-west to Hawaii 

 (20 north) and south to the Galapagos Islands (on the Equator) 

 and still south-west to Australia, where two species are distributed 

 from 15 to 30 south latitude (namely in Western, Southern, Central 

 Australia and Queensland). Lastly, one outlying species occurs in 

 India (Sind) and across the Persian Gulf in Arabia (Dhofar) about 

 25 north latitude. They are not only structurally a remarkably 

 distinct group of cottons, but might be characterised as confined to 

 certain islands and coast lands of the Pacific Ocean. No member 

 of the group has hitherto been recorded as met with in America 

 proper, still less as having crossed that continent to the islands and 

 coast lands of the Atlantic. Thus in every respect they stand by ^g^ 

 themselves and are probably quite unconnected with any cultivated 

 cottons. Many of them closely approximate to the plants placed 

 in the genera Fugosia (Cienf^legosia) and Thurberia on the one hand 

 and to those in Thespesia on the other. Indeed Todaro described as 

 species of Gossypium several plants (such as Gossypium anomalum) 

 now universally accepted as species of Cienfuegosia ; and Mr. J. Miers, 

 who devoted much attention to the cottons, proposed the name 

 G. lanceaforme (See 'Jour. Bot.' xxxi. 330) for a specimen in the 

 British Museum which I find to be Thurberia thespesioides, A. Gray. 

 The members of the present group of Gossypium thus stand on the 

 borderland, structurally and geographically, of the cottons proper. 



1. G. STURTII, F. v. M., Frag. Phyt. Austr. in., 6 (1863), et vi., 

 169, 251, et ix., 127; Benth. and Mueller, PL Austr. vol. i., 

 222 ; STUBTIA GOSSYPIOIDES, R. Br., Sturt., Exp. Cent. Austr. 

 ii., app. 68 ; G. STURTII, F. v.M. Parl, Sp. Cot. p. 62 (sp. excl.) ; 



G. AUSTBALIENSE, Tod., OsS. Cot. (1863), p. 19 ; G. STURTII, 



