54 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



NOTE ON THE CENTRAL-AUSTRALIAN ACTINOTUS 

 SCHWARZII, 



By Baron von Mueller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. 



Two years ago the Rev. W. F. Schwarz of the Mission- 

 Station on the Finke-River ascended Mount Sonder in the 

 Macdonnell-Ranges for the purpose of gathering plants, 

 particularly at its lofty and rocky summit. Thus the leaves 

 and peduncles of a plant were obtained, which — though 

 devoid of flowers and fruits — was referred to the genus 

 Actinotus, and recorded preliminarily in the transactions of 

 the Royal Society of South Australia 1886 as A. Schwarzii. 

 Recently the rev. gentleman reiterated this toilsome and rather 

 perilous tour, and succeeded in carrying away from almost 

 inacessible declivities further material for the elucidation of 

 this and some other peculiar plants ; thus it is now possible to 

 confirm the temporary position of this Actinotus, and to 

 contrast it with allied species. It has the habit of .4. Heh'anthi, 

 the tufts attaining a height and expansion of about 2 feet. 

 Foliage and vestiture are also like those of A. Helianthi ; the 

 peduncles are solitary, from few to several inches long ; the 

 umbels resemble in size and indument those of A. leucocephalus, 

 but the involucral bracts are worn awa}^ already on the few 

 specimens obtained, and must therefore be compared on some 

 future occasion ; the numerous pedicels are \ inch or less 

 long ; the flowers, still remaining unshed in the aged umbels 

 before me, are all staminate only, the filaments hardly reaching 

 beyond the calyx ; the latter is densely beset with soft whitish 

 almost appressed hairlets ; the anthers are also similar to those 

 of A. leucocephalus ; the fruit remains unknown. Phyto- 

 geographically also the plant is quite noteworthy ; it is the only 

 one of this — to us endemic — genus, which reaches the tropic of 

 Capricorn, and is also the only one which extends to Central 

 Australia. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW ATHRIXIA FROM 

 WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 



By Baron von Mueller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. 



Dwarf, ascendent, much beset with very soft rather long 

 spreading hairlets ; leaves crowded at and towards the base of 

 the stems, lanceolar or broad-linear, their margin closely 

 and broadly recurved, the edges thus almost contiguous ; 

 upper portion of stem peduncular, bearing numerous spreading 

 lanceolar or oftener setular-linear villous bracts ; headlet of 

 flowers SQiall ; involucral bracts linear or capillary-setular, 

 long-ciliolated ; corollas all conformous ; pappus-bristlets 

 capillary, slightly thickened and minutely ciliolated upwards 



