201 



Colour 2)€r se is unreliable, but taken in conjunction 

 ■with other characteristics it often serves to strengthen or 

 •even to clinch a diagnosis. 



The leaf when present can hardly be said to be helpful 

 in differentiation of forms. The shape is almost uniform for 

 all species, and the length varies greatly, even in plants of 

 the same species. In our two small Autumnal forms (P. 

 nigricans and P. Tepperi) the leaf is congenitally absent or 

 at most represented by a small bract; while in the Spring 

 forms it is an attractive tit-bit for insects, and is removed 

 in this way with annoying frequency before the plant reaches 

 the vasculum of the collector. 



The time of blooming forms a ready means of grouj^ 

 separation in our Prasophylla. P. nigricans and P. Tepperi 

 appear in Autumn (April and May). P. Australe and P. 

 elatiun are Summer forms blooming in the hot months of 

 November and December. The rest may be called the 

 Spring forms, blooming in September and October (rarely 

 a straggling specimen may be found early in November). 

 There are no Winter species. I have not observed that any 

 of our species bloom exclusively at certain altitudes, for 

 although a few of the new species have so far been found 

 only in the Mount Lofty Ranges, I have little doubt that 

 a more extended search will discover them also at the lower 

 levels. Even P. Australe, which I had long regarded as a 

 mountain form, has recently been found on Kangaroo Island 

 almost at sea-level. 



There seems to be a definite predilection in the case of 

 most of our species for a more or less sandy soil, less marked 

 perhaps in the case of P. patens and P. fuscum than in some 

 of the others. P. Australe would appear to be an exception 

 to the rule, as I have never found it anywhere except in very 

 wet places such as swamps or watercourses. 



For reasons not difficult to understand much confusion 

 has existed in South Australia with regard to this geniis. In 

 Tate's Flora six species are mentioned as occurring in this 

 State, viz. : — 



1. P. nigricans, R. Br. 



2. P. desjJectans, Hooker. 



3. P. Australe, R. Br. 



4. P. elatum, R. Br. 



5. P. patens, R. Br. 



6. P. fuscum, R. Br. 



A seventh species, P. Tepperi, stands as a nomen nudum 



in F. V. Mueller's first "Census of Australian Plants" (p. 



140), but was afterwards withdrawn by him in favour of P. 



nigricans. He recognized this Peninsular form (Tepjjeri) as 



