88 BOTANY. 



Hewardia tasmanica is of unusual interest, in so far that the 

 pistil is only partially immersed in the floral tube; this 

 feature is responsible for this plant usually being placed 

 amongst the lilies. The flower is rather nice, deep choco- 

 late, purple, or pale yellow, and about 2 inches across, but 

 it does not, care to depart from its native habitat, the high- 

 lands of the West and South- West. 



Among the Bxirmanniacece. there is one interesting little 

 beast, a Thismia, that is sparely found in gullies of Southern 

 Tasmania. It has no immediate relative nearer than 

 Borneo or Java. Its presence is a decided puzzle. Such 

 an ephemeral saphrophyte could hardly have been trans- 

 mitted over long distances by bird-assistance, besides its im- 

 mediate relatives are not only far ofi^, but not identical. 

 The lilies do not call for special attention in such a restricted 

 space. The pond-weeds, duck weeds, and other fresh-water 

 plants, as might be expected, are, as elsewhere, of the coim- 

 monly-distributed types of the Old World, but the Restiacece 

 and Centrolepidece, so common in Tasmania, belong to a 

 type of plants decidedly Southern Hemispheric, and pro- 

 bably the remains of a former type. The perianth is still 

 there, but primitive and uncertain ; the leaves are reduced 

 and sheath-like, and the whole type gives one the idea of an 

 early effort thrust aside by the more robust development of 

 the sedges. 



The sedges, or Cyperacece, an order of keen interest, must 

 be passed for want of space, except to allude to the paucity 

 of species of Cyperus, two only occurring here, G. htcidus 

 and gunnii. Fimhristylis is entirely absent, but Lepido- 

 sperma makes its presence recognised by some nine or ten 

 species. 



Of the grasses, Tasmania is very poorly off for indigeneous 

 species, 45 forms, and of these, only 2, Microlcena tasmanica 

 and Deyenxia. guntiiana, are endemic; but we make up for 

 it, on the other hand, by the numbers of aliens, chiefly 

 European, that are steadily dispersing themselves far and 

 wide. Anthoxanthum odoratutn and Holc.us latiatus, above 

 all others, are making themselves very much at home. It 

 is surprising that, with so easily-transmitted species as 

 grasses, only six forms, Imperata arundinacea, Aira ccespi- 

 fosa, Trisitum s^ihspicatum, Glyceria fluitans, Festuca dur- 

 iuscula, and Phragmites communis, should be common 

 alike to Europe and Tasmania. 



The conifers of Tasmania are of gTeat interest to the 

 botanist. We have no true pines or firs. We have 

 one genus, Arthrotaxis, belonging to the Taxoditim- 

 section of Pinoidece ; it contains three species, all 



