110 THE FLOEA OF THE NOKTHEEN TBEEITOEY. 



North Western Australia.- — Between the Gascoyne and Forteseue Rivers, 

 W.A., by H. S. King. King Sound, W.A., (W. W. Froggatt) considered by 

 Mr. N. E. Brown, Royal Gardens, Kew, to be a dwarf form of P. corymbosa. 



Northern Territory. — Brock's Creek, N.T. (Dr. H. I. Jensen). Pine Creek 

 (C. E. F. Allen), No. 80. 



In viciaia Darwin, Australia septentrionalis Martins, 1911. 



Planta annua, humilis, ramosissima, 5-7 cm. alta, leniter pUosa. Folia 

 crebro fasciculata, angusto-liaeares marginibus leniter incrassatis, 5-7 mm. 

 longa, aristata. Stipiilae laciniatae, lacinia quaque in angustum apicem 

 attentuata foHis aequUongum. Flores in brevibus pedicellis incrassatis in 

 cymis terminaHbus, bractis scariosis laciniatisque. Sepala vix 2 mm. longa, 

 in duos lobos obtusos fissa. Petala libera, obtusa, brevissima, stamina paulo 

 excedentes. Stamina 3, brevissima. Antherae fUamentis aequUongae. 

 Ovarium ovoidum, styla petala leniter excedens, stigma leniter incrassata. 



A low annual branching from the base, 5 to 7 cm. high, the branches 

 sparingly covered with crisped hairs. Leaves often clustered so as to appear 

 verticUlate, narrow-linear with slightly thickened or recurved margias, often 

 almost terete, 5 to. 7 mm. long and ending in a fine awn-like point 1 mm. long. 

 Stipules laciniate, each lacinia tapering into a fine point often as long as the 

 leaves. Flowers few or several in terminal cymes, the floral leaves reduced to 

 scarious laciniate bracts. Pedicels very short, thickened at the top, with 

 mi n ute dark points at the base of the sepals (warts or resinous exudations ?). 

 Sepals scarcely 2 mm. long, each spUt down about half way into two obtuse 

 lobes. Petals free, obtuse, hardly longer than the stamens. Stamens 3 only 

 in all flowers examined, the anthers as long and longer than the filaments. 

 Ovarium ovoid, with a very short style only slightly exceeding the petals. 

 Stigma very small, hardly thicker than the style. 



The affinity of this new species is clearly with P. corymbosa. 



The proportionate length of petals and sepals is identical in both species, 

 the indumentum and the shape of the leaves even to the peculiar aristate points 

 are the same, but they are sharply distinguished by the sepals, which are 

 tapering to a fine point in P. corymbosa, and are obtuse and deeply bi-lobed 

 in the new species. They differ also in habit and in the laciniate stipules. 



The most remarkable character is the 3 stamens. All known species of 

 PolycarpcBa have 5 stamens, though some have in addition stamonodia, but 

 we could not find more than 3 fertile stamens in all flowers examined. — 

 J. H. M. 



[Several specimens hitherto included under P. corymbosa in the Melbourne 

 Herbarium have bifid sepals, and two in particular (Port Darwin, Holtze, 1883, 

 and Pine Creek, sp. 5), appear to be identical with P. Holtzei. — A. J. E.] 



Incomplete specimens from Hanson Well, Spencer, and from Caledon Bay 

 A. E. Martin, are considered by Mr. Cheel to belong to P. Burtoni, F. M. 

 Bailey. 



2. DYSPHAGIA, R. Be. 



Flower-clusters forming a dense terminal leafless spike. — 2. D. plantag 

 inella. 



Flower-clusters closely contiguous but axillary, forming a leafy spike. — 

 1. D. httorahs. 



1. D. littoralis, R. Br. — Moist salt places on the N. Coast, R. Brown. 



2. D. plantaginella, F. v. M. — Sturt's Creek, F. v. Mueller. 



