FLORA OF TASMANIA. [Myqporinea. 
i in dry places in various parts of the Colony : Hobarton, Gunn. — (PL Nov.) 
Distrib. New South Wales and Yictoria. 
Gen. VIII. AJUGA, L. 
Calyx ovato- v. globoso-campanulatus, subsequalis, 5-fidus. Corolla bilabiata, labio superiore ininimo, 
inferiore elongato patente. Stamina exserta, ascendentia, omnia fertilia, inferiora longiora, antheris 2-locu- 
laribus reniformibus, loculis confluentibus. — Herbaj humiles ; foliis radicalibus petiolatisj verticillastris 
axillaribus v. (foliis floralibus abbreviatisj in spicas v. racemos foliosos terminates dispositis. 
The distribution of this genus is rather peculiar : in the northern hemisphere various species inhabit Europe, 
Northern and Western Asia, and the Himalayas ; one is found in Soutli Africa, and the rest (four or five) in Aus- 
tralia. The majority are lowly herbs, with petiolate, radical leaves, and erect or ascending branches, bearing whorls 
of nearly sessile flowers in the axils of the floral leaves, and when the latter are small, the inflorescence appears 
racemose or spiked. The A. Australia is, according to Bentham, very closely allied to a European species {A. 
Geneve/isis) ; it forms a small, glabrous, pubescent, villous or somewhat silky, leafy herb, 3-10 inches high, with a 
stout, perennial root, and erect or ascending, stout stems. — Radical leaves 1-4 inches long, petiolate, oblong-spa- 
thulate, obtuse, entire or crenate ; cauline leaves usually silky, linear-oblong, very variable in size, sessile, rarely 
petiolate ; floral leaves similar to the cauline, much longer than the flowers. Wliorls of flowers distant or crowded, 
very villous. Calyx bell-shaped, five-cleft. Corolla bluish, two-Hpped; upper lip very short, truncate, lower large. 
Stamens all fertile, with long, exserted, ascending filaments, and reniform anthers, whose cells are divaricating below 
and confluent above. (Name from a, privative, and £cvyos, a yoke ; in allusion to the equal calyx.) 
1. Ajuga Australia (Br. Prodr. 503) ; pubescens villosus subsericeus glabratusve, stolonibus nullis, 
caulibus ascendentibus erectisve, foliis radicalibus anguste oblongis obtusis petiolatis crenatis integerrimisve, 
caulinis ssepius sinuatis crassiusculis floralibus conformibus flores superantibus. — A. Australis et A. Die- 
inenica, Benth. Lab. 695 et in DC. Prodr. xii. 597. {Gunn, 32 et 865.) 
Hab. Common in damp meadows, etc., throughout the Colony. — (Fl. Nov.) {v. v.) 
Nat. Ord. LVII. MYOPORINE^E, Br. 
This extensive Australian Family abounds in the subtropical and extratropical regions of the Australian 
continent, both on the east and west coasts and in the interior, but, singularly enough, only one species in- 
habits Tasmania : it would be a curious problem to investigate the causes of its rarity in Tasmania, of 
which Loranthus affords a parallel case. Yery few species are found in other parts of the world, and these 
are chiefly Polynesian. About fifty Australian species are known, belonging to ten genera ; the majority 
inhabit the south-western quarter of the continent. Of the largest genus, Myoporum, the species are ex- 
tremely variable, and not well defined : many of them appear to rue to be common to the south-eastern and 
south-western quarters, and some of the same to be subtropical also, but without extensive suites of speci- 
mens of such variable plants it is impossible to define their limits satisfactorily. 
Gen. I. MYOPORUM, Banks et Sol. 
Calyx 5-partitus, persistens, fructifer haud v. parum auctus. Corolla hypocrateriformis v. subcam- 
panulata, tubo brevi, limbo 5-lobo subsequali. Stamina 4, didynama. Ovarium 2-loculare, loculis 2-ovu- 
latis v. 4-loculare loculis 1-ovulatis, ovulis pendulis; stylo erecto, stigmate obtuso. Drupa baccata, 2-4- 
nbryone tereti ; radicula supera. — Prutices ramulis foliisque novellis sape 
