BOTANY OF TERRA AUSTRALIS. 11 



natural orders, some of which are not iiiclucled in Decan- 

 dolle's hst. 



On such of these as either contribute largely to form the 

 mass or the striking peculiarities of the Australian vegeta- 

 tion, I proceed to offer a few observations, chiefly on their 

 geographical distribution, and more remarkable points of 

 structure : taking them nearly in the same series in which 

 they are given by Decandolle in the work already referred 

 to. 



MALVACEAE. The Malvaceae may be considered as a 

 class including several orders, namely, Malvacea of Jussieu,^ 

 Sterculiace^B of Ventenat,^ Chlenacecs of Du Petit Tliouars,^ 

 TiliacecB of Jussieu,* and an order very nearly related to the 

 last, and perhaps gradually passing into it, but which 1 shall 

 in the mean time, distinguish under the name of Buthie- 

 riacece. 



Of the MalvacecB strictly so called, upwards of fifty 

 species have been observed in Terra Australis, wdiere the 

 maximum of the order appears to be within the tropic. In 

 the principal parallel Malvaceae are more abundant at its 

 eastern than its western extrendty ; and at the south end of 

 Van Diemen's Island two species only have been observed. 

 There is nothing very peculiar in the structure or appear- 

 ance of the New Holland plants of this family ; most of 

 them belong to genera already established, and several of 

 the species are common to other countries. 



BUTTNERIACE^E.' The Australian portion of ButU 

 neriacece consists of Abroma, Commersonia, Easiopeta- [ou 

 lum, and several unpublished genera, intermediate to the 

 last two. 



^ Gen.'pl. 271. ' Malmais. 91. 



3 Plant, des isles d'Afnque, 46. '♦ Gen. pi. 2S9. 



® BuTTNERiACEii;. Calyx 1-ph. 5-fid. fiequalis, marcesceus, testivatione val- 

 vata. Petala 5 : vel basi saccata superne varie producta; vel niinuta squamu- 

 liformia; quandoque nulla. Slamina liypogyna, definita: Filamenta antherifera 

 cum laciniis calycis alteruantia, simplicia, vel 2-3 connata; j/'e/-;///>/« quandoque 

 alternantibus. Ovarium 3-5 loculare, loculis 2-polY5permis, ovulis ereciis: 

 Styli 3-5, ssepius connati: Stifjmala simplicia. Capsula 3-5-loc. Semina: 

 umbilico strophiolalo. Embryo erect\i?, in axi albuminis caniosi cujus dimuiio 



