PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTUltB OP THE AUSTRALIAN FLORA, 113 



orders, it is characterised by its singular indnsium. The 

 Epacrideas (Mueller), of which 275 species are described, i& 

 almost entirely Australian, and takes the place of HeathwortSy 

 from which it is distinguished principally by the shape and 

 openings of the anthers. In the order Dilleniaceas, only two 

 species of Hibbertia are known out of Australia, whilst 

 Pachynema is limited to the N. and W. of the continent. 

 The curious order Stylide^ is, with one exception, entirely 

 Australian and represented by 97 species (Mueller), the 

 structure of the inflorescence being more analogous to that 

 of orchids than anything else in the vegetable kingdom. 

 The Proteacese are a large order in Australia (597 sp. 

 Mueller) most of th« genera not extending beyond it ; and 

 the peculiar character of the species, differing as they do 

 widely from each other in appearance, soon attracted the 

 notice of the early settlers, and under the inappropriate 

 names of " Native Tulip," " Wooden Pear," "Honeysuckle," 

 " Beefwood," " Silky Oak," &c., became known to the 

 colonists for the singularity of their flowers and fruit, or for 

 some property which distinguished the wood. The extent 

 and distribution of the order were but partially known 

 before the publication of the Flora, for many of the Northern 

 genera were not described in the days of Brown and Cunning- 

 ham, nor was it supposed that the species generally were of 

 any great utility. 



In the extensive order of Leguminosa^, comprising sonre 

 1,100 species (Mueller), the genus Acacia, of which nearly 

 300 passed in review before Mr. Bentham, has recently 

 received good illustration in the figures published 1>y Baron 

 von Mueller. The genus, tliough well marked is a difficult 

 one to arrange in sections, and therefore the labours of the 

 Baron in this direction will be appreciated by botanists as 

 affording characters for classification. 



Of the MjTtacege, no genus has given more trouble to 

 botanists than that of Eucalyptus, and it may truly be said 

 that previous to the publication of the Flora, the sj^stem of 

 classification was not only unsatisfactory, but that even the 

 names of the commonest species were uncertain. The 

 labours of Bentham and Mueller have done much to correct 

 the errors of former botanists, and to suggest methods for 

 the better grouping of species ; but to the latter belongs 

 exclusively the merit of furnishing illustrations and descrip- 

 tions of the most remarkable species, and of making known 

 the uses of their wood, resin, bark, volatile oil, &c. In the 



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