XXU FLORA OP TASMANIA. [Orders, etc., of Australia. 
The Gymnosperraous Dicotyledons being regarded by many botanists as a class equivalent in 
rank with all Angiospermous PhBenogams, and all the Australian species being endemic, I have thought 
it might be interesting approximately to compare their proportions to other Phsenogams. They are, — 
In Australia . 1 : 184 
In Europe 1 : 194 
In the Russian Empire ...... 1 : 160 
In India 1 : 292 
In the whole world 1 : 315 
I may remark, that in selecting Floras for comparing the proportions of Orders, it is necessary to take 
such as embrace a very large area, and are moreover tolerably well denned as botanical provinces. 
Of those I have compared, India is inapplicable, being a heterogeneous assemblage of tempe- 
rate, tropical, and alpine plants, the tropical being however so far dominant as to determine the 
main results. Ceylon, again, is both far too small as an area, and is not a botanical province ; the 
proportions of the Indian Orders in it are, however, on the whole, so well balanced, that it gives 
normal results. 
The number of Natural Orders of Phamogamic plants in Australia is about 152 * Of these none 
are absolutely peculiar except Brunoniacea and Tremandrea, which may without violence be re- 
spectively appended to Goodeniacea* and Buettneriace®. Of about fifty absent Orders, the following 
are universally recognized as large and tropical Indian, and their total absence in Australia is 
certainly anomalous; Ternstrcemiacea (if Cochlospermum be excluded), Dipterocarpea, Guttifera; 
(exclusive of Calophyllum), Ochnacece, Connaracece, Balsaminece, BegoniacecB, Vacciniea. 
The following are also tropical Indian, but are small ; some of them are not universally recognized, 
but are appended by various authors to other Orders which do exist in Australia :~ 
Samydese : a family of Bixacecs. 
Tamariscinea3. 
Myricese : of which Casuarinece are possibly a family. 
Pyrenacanthese : referred to Antidesmeoe or Euphorliece. 
The following are temperate Orders, found elsewhere in the southern hemisphere, but not in 
Australia : — 
Fumariaceae : a Suborder of Papaveracece. 
Salieinea? : almost entirely a northern Order. 
Berberideae : ditto, except in the South American Andes. 
Yalerianeae : ditto, except in the South American Andes. 
The Orders which, without being absolutely confined to Australia, are either peculiarly charac- 
terise of that country, or are almost entirely confined to it, are either very small indeed or are 
sections of larger Orders, as,— 
VeoetlkKn! ^ n mat ? ^ f ° Unded ° n thC aSSUmpti ° n ttat there are ab0Ut 20 ° Natural 0rto in a11 «* 
Vegetable Kingdom, that is to say, so many Natural groups which are-1. Types of structure common in most 
naturai°cL^lTw ^ ^T' ^ COntainin - several or many Genera; 2. Groups absolutely definable by 
on Set ^T\ 1 T! " tranSltl ° n t0 ° ther ^P 3 * ^ a 3maU P r °P° rtion of their s P eci ^ % views 
200 as a to T °' ^^ ^ ^ JounL ** * * "> ™ d Asa <**-"*> *° insider 
200 as a fair approximate estimate of the known Natural Orders. 
