IGO HORN EXPEDITION SUMMARY. 



The first two cjroups, toifother witli 52 in tlie third, comprise plants helonf,nii<f 

 i)n the whole to tlie Ereniian type, whih^ the reinainiiig 218 species of tlie third 

 group "iue eitjier actually Autochtlionian or Euronotian or are related species, and 

 as a whole may be viewed either as residues of a common Austi'alian flora or as 

 modified descendants therefrom." 



Professor Tate accepts the views of Baron von Ettingshausen with regard to 

 a cosmopolitan flora "which oiiginated in Late Cretaceous times in Europe, North 

 America and Australia." 



In his recent presidcMitial address to the Linnean Society of New South 

 Wales Mr. Deane has drawn attention to the grave doul)ts which exist as to the 

 \a,li(lity of the conclusion dra,wn I)}- I'.aron \rin Ettingshausen and others, and it is 

 more than proljahle that this su]i]iose(l " cosnioiiolitan flora" with fossil remains of 

 genera such as Quercus, Alnus, I'.etula, Salix, etc., in Australia will have to l)e 

 abandoned.* 



The pla-nts of the Larapintine region, so far as their hahitat is concerned, are 

 divided by Professor Tate into two groups: (1) the [.oivlaiid vegetation ajid (2) 

 the Saxatilc ACgetation. 



The Lfiwland vegetation comprises that of the river banks, loainy plains and 

 sandy gi'ound. Its species are widely dillu.sed through the Eremian region, 

 spi'(^a<ling far' south in South Australia, over the internal jiarts of New South 

 Wales and Southern Queensland and westwards to the coast line of mid-West 

 Australia. Thus the Lowland vegetation of the Centre has no less tha,n sixty [>er 

 cent, of its species conniion to the flora of l)otli Shark's liay and Nichol liay on the 

 West Austi-alian Coast. Its species "are either inuiiigrants from the Oiiental 

 I)Otanical province or are endemic species of extra-Australasian genera." 



In both the Lowland and Saxatile plants the truly Australian forms are as a 

 general rule characterized by their sporadic distribution. They ai'e " frecjuently 



* I'roc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., vol. .\., ISOfi, p. 21(i. At the close of a valiial)le summary of work ikaliri',' witli (liis 

 <|iiestioii, Mr. Deane s.a.vs (p. OfiFi) : " At i)re.sont the faets seem to .afford ^rouiKls for concluding — 



1. That many, if not all, the typical Australian floral types ori<4inatc(l in Australia or in some land conncctcil 

 with it, hut now sul)mer!,'ed. 



•I. That the assumption of the existence of a universal flora of mixed types at any epoch is unfounded, 



3. Tliat the fossil plant remains of Tertiary aj^e in Eastern Australia indicate a vc;,'ctation in .all rcs]u;cts similar 

 to that existinv; on tlie coast in the same latitude at the present day. 



To these mi;{ht perhaps lie added a fourth conclusion of less certain character, hut of hi^h i)rohahility, that tlie 

 Prolfnren- represent a most ancient type wliich h.ad their ori^'in .at a time when not only extensive areas of land 

 existed in the Southern IIemis])liere hut wlien some kind of connection more or less lasting existed hetwcen 

 Australia and South Africa." 



