18 III, MAGNOLIACE^. 



Order III. MAGNOLIACEiE. 



Sepals and petals several, imbricate, and often passing gradually from the one 

 to the other, deciduous ; or in the Australian genera the calyx exceptionally 2 or 

 3-cleft. Stamens indefinite, hypogynous ; filaments often thickened or dilated, 

 anthers adnate. Carpels indefinite, rarely solitary, free or partially cohering. 

 Ovules 2 or more, attached to the inner angle of the cavity, or rarely ascending 

 from the base. Stigma sessile. Eipe carpels opening in 2 valves or indehiscent. 

 Seeds with a crustaoeous testa, often succulent externally ; albumen copious, oily. 

 Embryo minute, near the hilum, with divaricate cotyledons. — Trees or shrubs, 

 often aromatic. Leaves alternate, undivided, reticulately penninerved, entire or 

 toothed, with or without stipules. Flowers axillary or terminal, solitary or 

 fasciculate, often large. 



An Order chiefly distributed over tropical and eastern temperate Asia and North America, and 

 only represented by two somewhat anomalous genera in the southern hemisphere. Benth. inpatt. 



Teibe I. Wlnterete. — Powers hermaphrodite or rarely polygamous-dioecious. Carpels- 

 verticillate or solitary. Stipules none. 



Sepals 2 or 3, united in the bud in a globular calyx, irregularly split or separ- 

 ating when open. Carpels baccate 1. Dkimys. 



Sepals 2, at first entire, at length opening on one side to tbe base. Fruit 



globose, 8 or more celled ... 2. Galbdlimima. 



1. DRIMYS, Forst. 



(Alluding to the acridity of the plants.) 



(Tasmannia, R. Br.) 



Sepals 2 or 3, membranous, united in the bud in a globular calyx, irregularly 

 split or separating when open. Petals usually few. Filaments thick, the anther- 

 cells parallel or divergent. Carpels various^ in number, mostly solitary in the 

 Australian species, containing several ovules. Berries indehiscent. — Glabrous and 

 aromatic trees or shrubs. Leaves marked with pellucid dots. Peduncles (in the 

 Australian species 1-flowered) arising from the axils of deciduous scales at the 

 base of the new shots, but as these shoots are rarely developed till the fruit has 

 ripened, the flowers appear to be in terminal umbels with a central bud. Flowers 

 of a greenish-yellow, white, or coloured. 



Leaves on very short petioles, the lamina ending at the base in two minute 



auricles 1. D. dipetala. 



Leaves on longer petioles, the lamina tapering much towards the base, 



without auricles , 2. D. membranea. 



Leaves large, subeoriaceous, very obtuse and tapering towards the rather 



long petiole, under side grey 3. J5. semeearpoides. 



1. B. dipetala (two petals), F. v. M: PL Vict. i. 21 ; Benth. Fl. Amtr. i. 

 49. A tall shrub. Leaves oblong- lanceolate or rarely oval-oblong, acute or 

 acuminate, usually 3 to 6in. long, narrowed towards the base, but all (except 

 sometimes a few of the smaller leaves of lateral shoots) abruptly obtuse or 

 minutely biauriculate at the very base, on an exceedingly short broad petiole, or 

 almost sessile. Peduncles exceeding lin. in length. Sepals and petals 2 each. 

 Carpels often 2 or 3, but 1 only usually enlarges. Stigma short or linear, more or 

 less unilateral. Berry ovoid, fully ^in. long, purple or white and succulent. Seed 

 reniform black. 1 — Tasmannia insipida, R. ,, Br., and T. dipetala, E. Br.- also T. 

 montieola. A. Eich. Sert. Astrolab. 50 t. 19. 



Hab. : Mount Lindsay, Mount Mistake, and frequently met with on the low land along the 

 North Coast railway line. 



2 D. membranea (referring to the thin leaves), F. v. M, Fragm. v. 175. 

 A small glabrous tree. Leaves lanceolate tapering much towards each end, 3 to 

 5in. long, J to lin. broad, ' without auricles at the base of lamina, somewhat 



