45 



naria nubigena, witli the following characteristics : — " Scales 

 of involucre radiating. Heads of the fertile plants, with 

 several rows of female flowers in circumference, and with 

 hermaphrodite ones in the centre. Heads of the sterile plants 

 with only hermaphrodite flowers, a few rarely fertile, pappus 

 at the extremity clavellate, with the excej^tion of that of the 

 female flowers, which is not thickened." 



This subgeneric notation implied that the plant showed an 

 approach to dioecism, thus paving the way from Antennaria 

 to Leonto])odium. A few years later Sir Joseph Hooker 

 transferred this plant to his genus Eaoulia (Fl. Tasm. i., 206, 

 t. Iviii.), and in this he is followed by Bentham (Fl. Austr. iii., 

 651), both, it seems, having only occasion to examine that 

 state of the plant in which the bisexual but often sterile 

 flowers prevail, whereas De Candolle had before him only 

 the other state of the plant, with chiefly female flowers in 

 the capitulum, the latter being figured in my " Plants of the 

 colony of Victoria" (Plate xlv., fig. 4, the other at fig. 3), 

 the pappus of both showing also considerable dissimilarity. 

 Although we now know that the prevalence of the female or 

 of the bisexual flowers is one of degree only, still there is a 

 distinct dimorphism, and this same disparity seems to occur 

 also in the genus Leontopodium, so much so, that in 1876 

 Mr. C. B. Clarke, when describing Leontopodium alpinum 

 from the Indian Alps (Compositse Indicse, p. 100), notes not 

 only heterogamous, but also distinct male and female capitula 

 in the same glomeruJe. The accuracy of this observation I 

 was able to confirm on Sikkim and Tibet specimens frcm 

 Hooker and Thomson, and some Siberian samples from 

 Turczaninow ; moreover Sir Joseph Hooker also records last 

 year in the generic character of Leontopodium '' heads uni- 

 andbi-sexual" (Flora of British India, part viii,,p. 278). Hence 

 there can be no doubt that Antennaria leontopodina (D.C. 

 Prodr. vi., 269), obtained by Eoyle from Western India, 

 though omitted by Hooker, and also by Clarke, is a dioecious 

 state of Leontopodium alpinum. The opinion of Weddell 

 (Chloris Andina i., 150), foreshadowed by myself, that Leon- 

 topodium should merge into Antennaria, though not coun- 

 tenanced by Bentham (B. & J. H. Gen. pi. ii., 303), deserves 

 every consideration ; but as additional species, likely yet to 

 be discovered, and the re-examination of others, as yet only 

 known in one of the states of dimorphism, may affirm here- 

 after the separation by E. Brown of Leontopodium from 

 Antennaria, I deem it best to bring now the Gnaphalium or 

 Eaoulia Catij^es to Leontopodium, by which means an inter- 

 esting connection of an alpine plant of Tasmania and South- 

 eastern Australia with the famous " Edelweiss " of Europe 

 and Asia is established : moreover I am convinced that some 



