46 FLORA OF TASMANIA. [Elatinea. 
Gen. I. LINUM, C. BauL 
Mores 5-meri. Sepala indivisa. Petala nuda. 
Upwards of eighty species have been described of this genus by Dr. Planclion in his excellent paper on the 
Order Linea (in the Lond. Journ. Bot. vi., vii.). These are chiefly natives of Europe, Southern and Eastern Asia, 
and a few are sprinkled over various parts of the globe, but the genus is unknown in humid tropical countries, where 
it is replaced by some other genera of the Order. Only two Australian species are known. No attempt has, that 
I am aware, been made to extract flax from the Tasmanian species, though the trial is worth making. The genus 
is known by its pentamerous flowers, and free, simple sepals, convolute fugacious petals, ten stamens, of which five 
are imperfect, with adnate glands at the back of the filament on the disc. Capsule with the cells spuriously com- 
pletely or incompletely two-celled. (Name from the Latin linnm.) 
1. Ldnum marginale (A.Cunn.MSS.; Planch, in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. 1848, vii. 169); perenne, 
glaberrimum, caulibus apice ramosis, foliis linearibus anguste lanceolatisve, floribus subcorynibosis erectis, 
sepalis ovatis acuminatis integerrimis albo-marginatis capsula parva acuminata brevioribus a3quilongisve, 
stylis supra medium connatis. — L. gracile, 8m. MSS. L. angustifolium, DC. Prodr. i. 426 [quoad Stirp. 
Austral.) turn Huds. ; Bartling in Plant. Preiss. i. 161; Journ. Bot. i. 250. ii. 410; Comp. Bot. Mag. i. 
275. (Gunn, 71.) 
Hab. Abundant throughout the Colony, Lawrence, etc. — (El. Oct.) (v. v.) 
Distrib. Throughout extratropical Australia. 
Planclion has well indicated the characters that distinguish this from its very near ally, L. aiu/usttfblium, with 
which it had always been confounded ; and of these the united styles is by much the most important. Gunn says 
of it, that it is truly indigenous, and extremely abundant everywhere, varying extremely in size and habit. On the 
summit of the Western Mountains, at an elevation of 3000-4000 feet, the plants he collected were all small, and had 
white (never blue) flowers. — Stems few or many from the root, 6-24 inches high, branched above. Leaves scattered, 
linear or lanceolate, |-1£ inch long, -|— £ wide. Flowers subcorymbose, alternate on the branches of the corymb, on 
erect pedicels, $— 1 inch diameter, blue or white. Sepals much as linear-elongated. Capsule 
size of a small pea. 
Nat. Ord. XIV. ELATINEA. 
The affinities of Elatinea are with Hypericacece and Caryophyllece, perhaps also with Crassulacece, through 
the curious genus Diamorpha, as indicated by Eenzl, and assented to by Asa Gray. Yery few species are 
known, and these are chiefly natives of Europe, North America, and India. 
Gen. I. ELATINE, Linn. 
Sepala 2-5. Petala 2-5, imbricata. Stamina hypogyna. Ovarium depressum, 1-5-loculare, v. 
septis evanidis 1-loculare. Ovula plurima, placentis axillaribus affixa, stylis brevibus. Capsula membra- 
nacea, septifraga. Semina plurima, cylindracea, longitudinaliter striata et transverse rugosa. — Herbse 
aquaticce, cellular es ; foliis oppositis ; stipulis interpetiolaribus utrinque binis. 
A widely distributed genus of water-plants, containing six or eight species allied to the E. Americana, and which 
together have been included in the genus Crypta, Nutt., distinguished by its dimerous or trimerous flowers, eva- 
nescent dissepiments to the seeds, succulent habit, and entire leaves. — Flowers axillary, sessile or peduncled, incon- 
spicuous, minute. Sepals and petals two to five. Stamens hypogynous. Ovary one- to four-celled, with axile ovules, 
