PREFACE. 



and to the conservatory-plants in colder countries, especially as the time of flowering 

 of many Myoporinse extends over several if not all months of the year ; — the frequent 

 failure of raising these handsome shrubs resulting in many cases from not liberating 

 the small seeds by mechanical removal of the hard and often ample pericarp, a process 

 which in nature is not rarely accelerated or facilitated by bush-fires, or by the digestive 

 organs of the emu, or by a kind of spontaneous forcing in the native soil. As regards 

 the gradual discovery of these often far-hidden plants it may aptly here be observed, 

 that the first three members of the order were brought to scientific notice through 

 Cook's expeditions by Banks and Solander and by R. and G. Forster from New Zealand 

 and New Caledonia. Sixteen were added in 1810 by R. Brown during Flinders' voyage, 

 all from Australia, but then also the Antillan Bontia became settled in this group ; 

 by these means the order of Myoporinae was also at the time separately established. 

 Alphonse de CandoUe in elaborating the myoporinous plants for the 1 1 th volume of 

 the prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis mustered 28 genuine species in 

 1847, from various sources, as all then known, four of the additional plants being 

 from China, Japan, Hawaia and Rodriguez respectively. Bentham in 1870 recorded 

 59 species, 28 exclusively from our collections here. Since then almost solely through 

 Melbourne - researches the order has numerically been advanced to 74 well limited 

 specific forms for Australia, all here illustrated ; thus, if the anomalous South-African 

 Oftia or Spielmannia becomes excluded, this ordinal group of plants counts now a 

 total of 80 species. It is and will be of interest — particularly so for phyto-geographic 

 studies — to watch, whether this order will yet be found represented in any hitherto 

 unexplored region of the globe, perhaps such as New Guinea or Madagascar; but it 

 is not likely, to furnish additions from any highlands, as none of the Australian species 

 proved alpine. But even here we have yet certainly much to learn, concerning the 

 geographic distribution of the known specific kinds over the Australian Continent ; and 

 any help also in this particular respect by transmissions of material from far-inland 

 tracts of country will in the interest of science be gratefully welcomed. 



Melbourne, May 1886. 



