388 



the specimens belong to C. erinacea. [Common in sandhills: 

 a very shapely little bush covered in bright-yellow flowers.] 



Gnephosis arachnoidea, Turcz. This species appears to 

 have been erroneously included in the flora of South Aus- 

 tralia. The specimens bearing this name in the Tate Her- 

 barium have the cup-shaped pappus and other characters of 

 G. cyathopappa, Benth. Professor Ewart kindly lent me the 

 following specimens from the National Herbarium of Victoria, 

 labelled "G. arachnoidea^ : — 1, Darling Desert, near Bourke, 

 New South Wales, October, 1884 (Ad. Wurfel). 2, Between 

 Lachlan and Darling Rivers, October, 1885 (Joh. Bruckner). 

 3, Near Darling River, 1860 (Dr. Beckler). 4, Near Charlotte 

 Waters, Northern Territory, 1885 (H. Kempe). All these 

 specimens are indistinguishable from G. cyathopappa. He 

 also allowed me to inspect one of Drummond's type-specimens 

 of G. arachnoidea, from Western Australia, a small plant 

 with reddish, filiform branches and heads only 4 mm. in 

 diameter. Some of the achenes had no pappus (thus agree- 

 ing with Bentham's description, 'pappus none apparent at 

 the time of flowering") ; but others, perhaps more advanced, 

 had a very short, saucer-shaped, jagged pappus. It would 

 appear that Mueller determined as G. arachnoidea certain 

 desert specimens of G. cyathojmppa from northern South Aus- 

 tralia and western New South Wales with filiform branches 

 and rather smaller heads than usual (6-7 mm. in diameter). 

 The fact that some flowers of G . arachnoidea possess a minute 

 pappus shows that the two species are very closely allied, but 

 at the same time it should be noted that even the youngest 

 flowers of G. cyathopappa (those in the early budding stage) 

 have the distinctly cup-shaped pappus. The examination of 

 more material from Western Australia may suggest the 

 advisability of uniting them, in which case Turczaninow's 

 name would have priority. As long, however, as they are 

 kept distinct, G. arachnoidea should be considered as belong- 

 ing (as far as our present knowledge goes) to Western Aus- 

 tralia only. 



Angianthus tomentoms, Wendl. Specimens from Fowler 

 Bay have a pappus of 3-5 scales, each surmounted by a 

 bristle ; in specimens from the River Murray the number 

 varies from 2 to 4. 



Cratystylis conocephala, S. Moore. Ooldea. Ripe achenes 

 7 mm. long, compressed or angular, striate. [Growing in 

 bushes 2 feet high on flats between the sand ridges.] 



Podolepis capillar is (Steetz), Diels. Ooldea. [This pretty 

 little plant was found all over the sandhills.] 



*Dimorphotheca pluvial is (L.), Moench. Heathfield, 

 Kuitpo. Collected by Mr. W. Gill, Conservator of Forests, 



