35 



ihcm its tube; corolla of firm consistence, half or more than half 

 exserted ; filaments ad/nate up to the summit of the corollortube and 

 generally exceeding it in length ; anthers la/rge, almost ovate, cus- 

 pidulate; style and staminodia elongated; capsule large, firm, 

 nearly ovate, about half emersed, deeply valvate, the lobes of the 

 calyx reaching to its summit or beyond it ; valves slightly divergent 

 at the apex ; placenta conical, cuspidate ; seeds distinctly clathrate. 



Near the sea, Chathara-Island. Found also in New Zealand, in 

 South Africa, South America and around the whole extratropical 

 coast of Australia and there also inland especially around brackish 

 lakes and lagoons or on saline flats and even occasionally in moun- 

 tain-districts (for instance on the cataracts of Mount Lofty). 



The almost leafless varieties (S. junceus and S. ambiguus) are as 

 yet only brought from S. W. Australia but pass there clearly into 

 the normal form ; nor has the analysis of their flowers or fruits 

 revealed the slightest difference from the typicaL plant. Analogous 

 leafless varieties are produced under certain circumstances also by 

 Tetratheca ericifolia, one of these being T. subaphylla (Benth. Flor. 

 Austr. i. 132). S. campanuloides from South Africa is precisely in 

 stature and external form alike to certain robust varieties observable 

 in Australia, and shows also no differences in its floral or carpic 

 characters. 



One of the most variable of known plants, sometimes reduced to 

 small tufts, sometimes fully 8' high. Stem-leaves sessile or occa- 

 sionally (particularly in the broad-leaved varieties) producing a 

 distinct petiole, sometimes extremely minute or even transformed 

 to scales, sometimes again to 1^" long and to ^" broad. Flowers 

 terminating the branches as leafy or bracteate short or elongated 

 racemes with several flowers or as few-flowered corymbs or even 

 siagly, or placed solitary axillary, the racemes not rarely constituting 

 panicles ; the flowers sometimes very remote. Pedicels only excep- 

 tionally more than 1" long, usually shorter. Calyx and corolla five- 

 lobed, rarely four- six- or seven-lobed. The latter cleft to half or 

 two-thirds its length into semiovate lobes, glabrous, attaining a length 

 of 6"', but almost always in various degrees shorter, but never so 

 small as that of S. Valerandi. Staminodia as long as the stamens 

 or somewhat longer or occasionally shorter, sometimes only at the 

 apex free. Filaments in most cases extending considerably beyond 

 the tube of the corolla, to the whole length of which they are adnate. 

 Anthers ^-1"' long, with a more or less conspicuous terminal slender 

 prolongation, introrse, with emarginate base. Style attaining a 



