31 



synopsis cannot be considered quite complete." Indeed, a complete revi- 

 sion of the latter part of Dr. Schomburgk's Synopsis is rendered necessary 

 by the publication of Vol. VII. of the Flora Australiensis. A reduction 

 in the number of species is obtained by suppression of names, regarded 

 as synonymic by Bentham, and by expurgation of others not known to be 

 South Australian ; -whilst on the other hand the list is largely increased 

 by species not previously known to occur within our boundaries. That 

 Dr. Bentham does not, however, fully state the extent of our knowledge 

 is clear when he omits such familiar plants as Typha angustifolia, 

 JLemna trisulca, and some others, from the South Australian lists. Com- 

 paring the two sources of information, I find that the order Liliacese is 

 reduced from 25 species to 14, but five others are added ; Juncacese, from 

 25 to 14, nine new; Xyridese, from six to one ; Comirelynacese, Aroidese... 

 Typbacese, Lemnacese, and Eriocaulese, which we thought to contain 15 

 South Australian species, are, according to Bentham, unrepresented ; 

 Alismacese is reduced from two to one species, but 11 are added ; Uestia- 

 cese, from eleven to four, but six are added ; Cyperacese, from thirty- 

 three to eighteen, but thirty-four additional species are given, nine be- 

 longing to Central Australia ; Graminese is reduced from eighty-three to 

 thirty-nine, but sixty-five are added, making a total of 104 grasses, 

 thirty-two of which are Central Australian. The lycopods and their 

 allies are only represented by two species, where we were believed to 

 possess eight ; the ferns are reduced from thirty-five to sixteen, but 

 DicJcsonia antarctica is the only addition. Of the 243 species catalogued 

 by Dr. Schomburgk 134 are retained, to which 136 are added, making a 

 total of 270 species of the orders from Liliacese to Filices. 



Despite the efforts of the many able men that have laboured 

 in this department of Australian biology, I think that the field 

 is not exhausted ; and though we cannot expect to be rewarded 

 by our search for undiscovered species, yet the habits of known 

 plants, of which we have a very limited knowledge, afford a very 

 favourable opening for further researches. The modes of fertili- 

 zation of our native plants, and the mutual dependency of certain 

 plants and animals, are subjects about which very little is known. A 

 reader of Darwin's " Fertilization of Orchids," or Sir John Lubbock's 

 tl British "Wild Flowers," cannot fail to be incited to a practical examina- 

 tion of the phenomena therein described ; and be it known that several 

 of the orders to which especial interest is attached are abundantly repre- 

 sented in this colony. Dr. Bentham, who has investigated the stigmatic 



