BOTANY OF TERRA AUSTRALIS. 43 



are readily distinguishable from the whole order by their 

 fructiis superus, and they may possibly differ also in the 

 internal structure of their ovarium, which has not yet been 

 satisfactorily ascertained. 



The genus Euoocarpus is most abundant in the principal 

 parallel and southern parts of Terra Austrahs, but it is not 

 unfrequent even within the tropic. JExocarpus cupressi- 

 formis is not only the most common species of the genus, 

 but the most general tree in Terra Australis, being found 

 in nearly the whole of the principal parallel, in every part 

 of Van Diemen's Island that has been visited, and even 

 within the tropic. I am acquainted with only three plants 

 that have in that country an equally extensive range. These 

 are Anthistiria australis, the most valuable grass as well as 

 the most general plant in Terra Australis ; Arundo Phrag- 

 mites, less frequent than the former, but which extends 

 from the southern extremity of Van Diemen's Island to 

 the north coast of New Holland ; and Mesembryanthemum 

 (squilaferale, which occurs on almost every part of the 

 sandy sea shores of both these islands. 



Exocarpus is not absolutely confined to Terra Australis, for 

 M. Bauer has discovered a very remarkable species bearing 

 its flowers on the margins of dilated foHaceous branches, 

 analogous to those of Xylophylla ; and Xylophylla longi- 

 folia, which was taken up by Linnaeus from Rumphius,^ [570 

 appears more probably, both from the description and 

 figure of that author, to be also a species of Exocarpus. 



There is so great a resemblance between the enlarged 

 fleshy receptacle of Exocarpus and the berry of Taxus, that 

 some botanists have been led to compare these plants to- 

 gether in other respects. A complete coincidence in this 

 part of their structure would not indeed prove the affinity 

 of these two genera, any more than it does that of Exo- 

 carpus to Anacardium or Semecarpus, with which also it 

 has been compared; and to determine their agreement 

 even in this respect it is necessary to understand the origin 

 of the berry of Taxus, of which very different accounts 



' XylophjUos ceramica, Herb. amb. l,p. 19, t. 12. 



