Imperfectly Known Australian Plants. 31 



A tall shrub, or small tree, with black -wrinkled bark and 

 numerous branchlets. Leaves 1^-2^ inches long, 1-6 lines 

 broad, generally acute, gradually narrowed into the base, 

 veined ; the floral ones deciduous, leaving thus frequently a 

 racemose inflorescence. Sepals nearly orbicular, \ line long. 

 Petals ovate or round, pale greenish-yellow, twice as long as 

 the calyx. Filaments very short, inserted to the outside of 

 the disk. Anthers basifixed, ovate- cordate, \ line long. 

 Stigma subsessile, bilobed. Ovary two-celled. Seeds 1^ 

 line long, neither compressed nor angulated. 



Celastrus dispermus. 



(Sect. Catha.) 



Unarmed, glabrous; leaves thinly coriaceous, scattered, 

 broad or lanceolate-obovate, entire, paler beneath ; 

 racemes lateral and axillar, few or many-flowered; calyx 

 four-cleft; capsule obcordate-ovate or roundish, bivalved, 

 compressed, two-celled, two- rarely four-seeded ; seeds 

 ovate, brown, only at the base covered with a thick 

 fleshy arillus. 

 In the Araucaria Forests, near Moreton Bay. 

 A small tree similar to the following species ; capsules 

 about 3 lines long, rarely three- valved ; seeds a little longer 

 than one line. 



Celastrus bilocularis. 



(Sect. Catha.) 



Unarmed, glabrous, leaves scattered, thin- coriaceous, 

 ovate or broad-lanceolate, obscurely crenulate or sharp- 

 teethed, distinctly net-veined, below paler ; racemes 

 axillary and lateral; capsule small, bivalved, ovate- 

 globose, slightly compressed ; cells one- or two-seeded ; 

 seeds enclosed in a thin arillus. 



On the shrubby banks of the rivers Dawson and Burnett. 



A small tree; leaves mostly 1^-2 inches long; capsules 

 2 lines long. 



With Catha I refer also the genera Eucentrus and Poly- 

 acanthus again to Celastrus. Besides the Celastrus Australis 

 and the above-described celastrinaceous plants, I am ac- 

 quainted with several other Australian ones belonging to 

 this order, none of which, however, has been obtained in a 

 state sufficiently perfect for description. 



