334 



Of the other genera, four are monotypic, vis., Epiblema, a close relation of 

 Thelymitra, and confined to the extreme south-western portion of Western 

 Australik ; Auticheirostylis, described by R. D. Fitzgerald from a single locality 

 in New South Wales; Burnettia, related to Lyperanthus and limited in its dis- 

 tribution to the three States of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania ; and 

 Lcptoceras, a genus without any very close affinities, but approaching most nearly 

 to Eriochilns and a single member (C. Mensiesii, Br.) of the Caladenias. 

 Lcptoceras has undoubtedly reached us from Western Australia, where it is very 

 common. It is distributed sparsely in South Australia, is rare in Victoria, and 

 has not been recorded from any of the other States. 



By far the best developed of the endemic genera is Diiiris, comprising 25 

 species, well represented in all the States of extra-tropical Australia, and in one 

 instance penetrating into the tropics as far north as the 18th parallel of latitude. 

 Some of its members are adapted to very variable conditions of soil and climate, 

 one having been recorded even from the great Victoria Desert in the West. It 

 hybridizes easily and propagates freely, both by cross-pollination and by the 

 vegetative method. It is singular that a genus having such admirable properties 

 for dispersion should not have been reported from any station outside Australia. 

 Its gynostemium approaches rather nearly in its fundamental structure to that 

 of Thelymitra, and the only apparent advantage possessed by the latter genus 

 is that it includes among its members some self-pollinating species, while Diuris 

 has none. Yet Thelymitra has migrated as far into the tropics as the Malay 

 Archipelago and the Philippines, and certain of its Australian self-pollinating 

 species are to be found in New Zealand and New Caledonia. Diuris is an 

 exceedingly characteristic and virile genus and finds its best development in 

 New South Wales, where it is represented by 17 species. 



Drakaca and Spiculoea are two very remarkable small genera with grotesque 

 insectiform flowers. Lindley very properly separated them, but Bentham com- 

 bined them, although they had very few characters in common. Quite recently 

 Schlechter <^^"-^ has proposed that Lindley's separation into two genera be again 

 restored. Each genus now contains three species, all the Drakacas and one 

 species of Spiculoea being peculiar to Western Australia, and two species of 

 Spiculoea being confined to the Eastern States of Queensland, New South Wales, 

 and Victoria. Spiculoea irritabilis penetrates the tropics as far as the 18th degree 

 of south latitude. 



Eriochilus is monotypic in the five Eastern States, but in the Western is 

 represented by four other species, which are peculiar to the south-western corner 

 of the continent. This genus is probably most nearly allied to Caladenia. 



Glossodia contains five species, two of which occur in Queensland, New 

 South Wales, and Victoria, and one of these in Tasmania and South Australia ; 

 as in the case of Eriochilus, the remaining three are peculiar to the south-western 

 corner of the continent. It is extra-tropical. 



An examination of our endemic orchid-flora shows that a number of them 

 are peculiar to various States. It will be noticed that the number of species 

 comprised under the above nine genera is 45. Of these no less than two genera 

 and 18 species are peculiar to Western Australia. These will, in all probability, 

 be considerably augmented as our knowledge of the flora of that part of the 

 continent increases. 



In New South Wales one of the endemic genera is peculiar to that State, 

 and also nine species. 



In South Australia only one species of an endemic genus is peculiar, and in 

 the remaining States there are not any. 



(■>3)Fedde. Repert., xvii. (1921), 78. 



