776 liXlV. EtlBIACEl^. [Opercutaria. 



ovate, rugose, the inner face maoh flattened but with 2 longitudinal smooth ribs, 

 one on each side of the prominent rugose centre. — 0. paleata, Young in Trans. 

 Linn. Soc. iii. 30 t. 5 ; DO. Prod. iv. 616 ; 0. oajinifolia, Juss. in Ann. Mus. 

 Par. iv. 428 t. 71 f. 3 ; DC. I.e. 



Hab.: Burnett River and Moreton Bay, F. o. Mueller. 



Var. ligustrifoUa. Leaves lanceolate, acutely acuminate, thinner and less scabrous than in 

 the original form. — 0. ligustrifolia, Juss. in Ann. Mus. Par. iii. 428 t. 71 f. 2 (from the char, and 

 fig.); DC. Prod. iv. 616; 0. rubioides, Sieb. pi. Bxs., but scarcely of Jussieu. — Southern 

 localities. 



Var. hyssopifolia. Leaves smaller, narrow-lanceolate, and thin. — L. hyssopifoUa, Juss. in 

 Ann. Mus. Par. iii. 428 t. 71 f. 1 ; DC. Prod. iv. 616.— Coastal. This variety much resembles 

 0. dipliylla in foliage, but the seeds are those of 0. aspera. — Benth. 



2. O. diphylla (two-leaved), Occrtn. Friict. i. 113; Benth. Fl. Austr. iii. 434. 

 Slender and nearly glabrous, resembling the weaker forms of O. aspera, var. 

 hjssopifoUa. Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, attenuate at both ends. Flower- 

 heads nearly sessile at the forks but reflexed, much smaller than in 0. aspera, 

 and the calyx-lobes much shorter. Seeds very much pitted-rugose on the inner 

 face, without the two smooth ribs of O. iixpera. — 0. sessiliflora, Juss. in Ann. 

 Mus. Par. iv. 427 t. 70 f . 2 ; DC. Prod. iv. 615. 



Hab.: Bay of Inlets, Banks and Solander ; Brisbane River, Moreton Bay, F. v. Mueller; 

 Hockhampton, Dallachy and others. 



8. O. varia (habit various), Hook. f. in Hook. Land. Journ. vi. 466 and Fl. 

 Tasin. i. 167 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. iii. 485. Either small and diffuse or with wiry 

 stems ascending to nearly 1ft., glabrous, scabrous or hirsute. Leaves very shortly 

 petiolate, oblong lanceolate or almost linear, usually acute, rarely -J-in. long and 

 often much smaller. Flower-heads small, sessile in the forks or nearly so, 

 recurved. Capsules usually only 3 or 4 to each partial head. Seeds broad, not 

 very rugose, the inner face concave with denticulate margins and 2 prominent 

 longitudinal ribs. — 0. ecliptoides, F. v. M.; Miq. in Ned. Kruidk. Arch. iv. 110. 



Hab.: Queensland, without locality, F. v. Mueller. 



83. POMAX, Soland. 



(From poiim, a lid ; covering of fruit.) 



Flowers connate by the calyx-tubes in simple heads, of which several are 

 pedicellate in a terminal umbel. Calyx-lobes about 3. Corolla-tube short, lobes 

 3 to 5, valvate. Stamens 5 or fewer, inserted at the base of the corolla-tube ; 

 filaments long ; anthers exserted. Ovary 1 -celled, with 1 erect ovule ; style 

 filiform, deeply divided into 2 long exserted filiform hispid branches, one some- 

 times abortive. Fruit a 2-valvate capsule, the outer valves of all the capsules 

 united in a persistent cup crowned by the outer calyx-lobes, the inner valves 

 united in a deciduous operculum. — A small shrub or undershrub. Stipules 

 interpetiolar. 



The genus is limited to a single "species, endemic in Australia, only differing from Opercularia 



in the simple flower-heads forming an umbel, instead of being united in a compound head. 



Benth. 



1. P. umbellata (flowers in umbels), Soland. in Girrtii. Fruct. i. 112 ; Benth. 

 Fl. Austr. iii. 437. Much-branched, diffuse or erect, usually not exceeding 1ft. 

 in height, more or less hirsute or rarely glabrous. Leaves petiolate, ovate, 

 elliptical or lanceolate, mostly under ^in. Icng or rather more when narrow. 

 Umbel terminal, sessile within the last leaves ; rays or peduncles 2 to 3 lines 

 long when in flower, longer when in fruit, each bearing a head usually of about 3 

 or 4 flowers. Corolla about 1^ line long. Persistent cup (formed by the outer 



