110 



THE SAND STBAND FLORA 



Europe, and Australia, as far as the writer has seen, but CockayneD 

 remarks a considerable variation in forms from New Zealand and 

 Chatham Island: "The trailing stems of C. Soldanella, furnished with 

 a few fleshy leaves, are very short, being rarely more than 4 em. m 

 length; the rest of the plant is subterranean, with the exception of the 

 flowers. These latter are large, lilac and white in color, semiprostrate, 

 with their peduncles buried beneath the sand right to the base of the 

 calyx. This small development of C. contrasts greatly with the same 

 species, when growing on the sand dunes at some distance from the sea 

 in many parts of New Zealand. There it forms great masses trailing 

 over the sand, or, when growing in sheltered positions amongst other 

 plants, it actually assumes a climbing habit of growth." 



This species does not differ much in habit from the sea coast form 

 of 0. sepium L. and it has also been reduced to this by P. v. Mueller 2) 

 although it exhibits characters, which certainly justify its being con- 

 sidered a different species. 



Cressa cretica L. 



Small, erect, much-branched perennial, 7 — 15 cm. high, silky-pubes- 

 cent; leaves sessile, linear or ovate-lanceolate, entire, 5 mm. long. 



On sandy coasts of the warmer parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, 

 Australia, and America. In California and Australia it also occurs in 

 the interior on saline soil. 



Evolvulus alsinoides L. 

 Perennial, much-branched, prostrate; 15 — 30 cm. long stems, silky- 

 hairy; leaves lanceolate, entire, sessile, 1 — 2 cm. long, obtuse or acute; 

 flowers small, white or bluish. 



Abundant on Queensland coast, and also found in New South Wales 

 (Clarence Eiver), S'outh and West Australia. Eeported from many 

 places of the interior. 



Ipomaea carnosa E. Br. 

 Prostrate or creeping glabrous perennial; leaves petiolate, ovate, ob- 

 tuse, cordate at base, succulent, 1—3 cm. long; flowers large, white; 

 seeds woolly and hairy. 



On sea coasts of warm countries in America, Africa, and Asia. Also 

 occurs on the Mediterranean coasts, and on the shores of Gulf of Car- 

 pentaria in Australia. 



1) A short account of the plant covering of Chatham Island. — Trans. N. Z. 

 Inst. XXXIV. p. 257. 



2) Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae, VI, p. 100. 



