BY W. P. BLAKELT. 209 



petiole, i-li em. long (abbreviated forms often oblong obtuse to broad lanceo- 

 late) ; venation scantily penninerved or obscurely triplinerved at a distance from 

 the base, the intermediate nerves rarely reaching the apex. In the narrow-leaved 

 forms the midrib is alone conspicuous. Sometimes the veins are short and 

 scarcely parallel, and are more numerous on one side of the midrib than the 

 other, but they are always at a much higher angle, and less reticulate than those 

 of P. celastroides. Inflorescence a terminal shortly branched cyme, 1-4 ins. long, 

 bearing 12-24 bracteate flowei-s. Flowers in triads, the central ones sessile, 

 maturing first, usually larger and longer than the lateral ones; bracts glabrous, 

 small, concave, ovate-elliptic, spreading when dry; calyx subcylindrie, curved at 

 the base like the bowl of a pipe; the slender 4-7 mm. pedicel acting as the stem 

 (the curvature of the calyx is erratic, and often causes the flowei's to turn in 

 various directions) ; limb truncate, rarely toothed, paler than the base, the whole 

 5-7 mm. long; buds often abruptly curved at the base and again at the top, the 

 apex acute, ventricose in the lower portion and in the vicinity of the anthers, 

 4-6 J cm. long, marked by the unequal insertion of the filaments, slightly striate 

 by the lines of demarcation of the perianth segments. Petals usually 5, oc- 

 casionally 6 in the central flowers, or in luxuriant forms, free, linear-lanceolate, 

 acute, reddish inside to the base of the filaments, yellowLsh-green, or occasionally 

 shaded rose on the outside, deflexed or somewhat oblique, the two lowest cleft 

 at least 5 mm. below the three upper ones, all minutely crenulate on the some- 

 what thickened inner margins at the base, but more conspicuous on the two 

 lower petals, the top sometimes with a minute gland-like appendage inside above the 

 filaments and a short distance from the extreme point. Filaments unequal in 

 length, those attached to the upper petals longer than the others by 2-3 mm., and 

 geniculate a short distance below the anthers, the longest with two rudimentary 

 glands, the shorter ones with a single gland on the bent upper portion. Anthers 

 versatile, oblong, 2-3 mm. long, about 1 mm. broad, minutely emarginate at both 

 ends. Style pentagonal, usually green throughout, exceeding the anthers by 

 about 3 mm., the upper portion geniculate or sometimes minutely fliexuose, dotted 

 with 4-8 minute glands; stigma minutely capitate or scarcely enlarged, reddish. 

 Disc pentagonal, but not acutely so, pitted on the inside with five deprjessions 

 or scars of the segments, and with a central pit or the remains of the style. 

 Fruit usually curved, cylindric or pear-shaped, 10-15 mm. long, light green with 

 a pale yellow top, opening semi-apieally. Epiearp thick, coriaceous; viscin sac 

 7-12 mm. long, the spongy base globose; seeds turbinate with slightly raised 

 angles at the top, surrounded by copious viscin, about 5 mm. long. Endosperm 

 white; embryo elongated, terete, about 3 mm. long, green; the embryonic cotyle- 

 dons narrow oblong, remaining in the endosperm when germination takes place; 

 hypocotyl very short, scarcely 1 mm. long. On germination the hypocotyl, with 

 the disc, resembles that of Notothixos subauretiis Oliv. but, unlike the latter, it 

 does not grow out from the seed in quest of a suitable spot for attachment, but 

 turns abruptly under the seed or endosperm, and attaches itself to the host, as 

 it were from the shelter of the seed which is thickly coated with very tenacious 

 viscin, which hardens or liquefies according to the progress of the hypocotyl. 

 Primary leaves narrow spathulate to lanceolate, developing to a length of 10 

 mm. 



The seeds germinate very rapidly in favourable weather, on any object on 

 which they chance to fall. An investigation showed that beneath a large fruiting 

 plant of this species, the free germination of the seed was observed upon many 

 objects, such as rocks, bones, blades of grass, leaves and gum of Xamthorrhoea 



