TWO SPECIES OF BOWENIA 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE HULL BOTANICAL LABORATORY 1 62 



Charles J. Chamberlain 



(with four figures) 



All the cycads except Bowenia have pinnate leaves, so that 

 bipinnate leaves make Bowenia a very unique genus. It is found 

 only in Australia, and even there is limited to Queensland, ranging 

 from the northern part of the state to about the latitude of Rock- 

 hampton, in the Tropic of Capricorn. 



Bowenia is described as monotypic, with B. spectabilis as the 

 only species, although taxonomists recognize a var. serrata, which 

 is often called serrulata. 



B. spectabilis is found in the northern part of the range. I 

 found it at Babinda, near Cairns, and followed it for some distance 

 toward Innesfail, where it was said to be fairly abundant. Mr. 

 J. H. Bailey, director of the Brisbane Botanical Garden, told me 

 that it is abundant at Cooktown; others, not professional botanists, 

 claimed to have seen it much farther north. 



B. spectabilis var. serrata 1 is so abundant in the Maryvale and 

 Byfield region near Rockhampton that it forms a dense, but easily 



Eucalyptus bush. Mr 



IM^ 



Bowenia locality. I studied the variety for a distance of 20 miles 

 and did not see a single plant resembling the species. Similarly 

 in the Babinda region I had not seen a single specimen which could 

 have been mistaken for the variety. In fact, the differences 

 between the two are so pronounced that they should be regarded 

 as distinct species. 



1 Bowenia serrulata (AndrS) Chamberlain, n. comb. — B. spectabilis Hook. f. var. 

 serrulata Andrg, 111. Hort. 26: 184. pi. 366 (1879); B - spectabilis var. serrata Bailey, 



jueensland 

 caulibus 

 land. 



419] 



;pha 

 -Vicinity of Rockhampton, Queens- 



[Botanical Gazette, vol. 54 



