BY J. J. FLETCHER. 871 



P. elliptica and P. longifolia are restricted to West Australia, 

 P. confertiflora to Victoria, and P.ferruginea to New South Wales. 

 All four species fall into Mr. Bentham's Section 3, but this, with 

 one exception (P. falcata from N.A. and Q.) includes all the 

 species which are not West Australian, and three which are. 



Species with polycotylous embryos, on the other hand, are to 

 be found in each of Mr. Bentham's Sections. Of the six West 

 Australian species in the Baron's list, P. teretifolia and P. brachy- 

 stylis fall into Section 1; P. dillwynoides and P. quinquenervis 

 into Section 2. 



The opportunity of seeing germinating seeds and seedlings of 

 Nuytsia floribunda^R.^v., the West Australian terrestrial member 

 of the N.O. Loranthacece, another Australian plant which has a 

 long-standing reputation for producing polycotylous embryos, 

 stimulated my interest in polycotylous Geebungs. Residence in 

 Sydney gives one a great advantage over the Baron in respect of 

 facility of access to living plants; and I decided to turn my attention 

 chiefly to seedlings. The embryos are delicate and fragile; and even 

 if one succeeds in extracting them entire from the hard putamen 

 and the double seed-coat, it is difficult to examine them satisfac- 

 torily and in detail without damage and without the expenditure 

 of much trouble. They vary in size from about 4-7 mm. in length. 

 The smallest I have seen are those of P. myrtilloides (about 

 4 mm.); those of P. mollis are slightly larger (about 5 mm.). 

 The cotyledons are relatively broadest in the dicotyledonous 

 embryos of P.ferruginea, semicircular in section, the appressed 

 surfaces flat. In polycotylous embryos the cotyledons are pro- 

 portionately narrower, according to their number, nearly triangular 

 with a curved base (a sector of a circle, in fact) in section, and 

 approximately equal in their dimensions. 



Seedlings are very satisfactory for examination, as the coty- 

 ledons persist for a considerable time, remaining fresh and green 

 in seedlings several months old; and they are fairly conspicuous, 

 in individuals of some species attaining a length up to 17 mm., 

 which are the longest I have measured. The transitional forms, 

 too, more readily catch the eye. 



