295 



DESCRIPTION. 



OCX IV. E. obtusiflora DC. 



In Prod. iii. 220 (1828). 



A. copy of the original description, together with references to some of Sieber's specimens, 

 will be found in Part IX. p. 276. 



Following is G. Don's translation of the original : — 



Operculum hemispherical, very blunt, shorter than the cup. which is obovate : peduncles' rather 

 angular, axillary lengrh ef the petioles: flowers 4^5 in each head; leaves lanceolate, mucronate, unequally 

 attenuated at the base, coriaceous. Native of New Holland, on the eastern coast. Very like the preceding 

 species, but differs in the flowers being larger, in the cup of the calyx being obovate, in the operculum being 

 blunter, and in the leaves being broader. The mucroncs of the leaves are deciduous as in the preceding 

 species. 



The ""preceding species" is E. cneorifolia (Gen. Hist. Dichlam.. Plants, ii, 820, where it is given 

 E. obtusi folia in error). 



Then Benthain (B.F1. iii, 205) described it in the following words : — 



Leaves mostly straight, oblong elliptical or almost lanceolate, acuminate, often all under 3 inches 

 long, but in some luxuriant specimens more falcate, acuminate and attaining 5 inches, very thick and rigid, 

 the veins oblique and parallel, but not close, the intramarghicl cne at a distance from the edge. Peduncles 

 lateral or axillary, somewhat compressed, rigid, with an umbel of four to eight rather large flowers. Buds 

 clavatc. Pedicels much thickened upwards. Calyx-lube short and bread, fully 3 lines diameter. 

 Operculum broadly hemispherical, obtuse or umbonate, thick, shorter than the calyx-tube. Stamens 2 to 

 3 lines long, all perfect ; anthers reniform, with divergent cells, usually confluent at the apex. Fruit 

 very hard and woody, ovoid-truncate, above \ inch long, the orifice scarcely contracted, the rim rather 

 broad and concave, the capsule depressed. 



I have described the species at Part IX, p. 277, of the present work. 



Illustrations. — The juvenile (sucker) leaves vary in width and shape from narrow- 

 lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, and even almost orbicular. Considerable variation is 

 shown in figs. 8a and 7 of Plate 43. I have seen them even broader than as depicted 

 at fig. 7, e.g., lj miles north-west of Berowra Railway Station (W. F. Blakely and 

 D. W. Shiress), the following being actual measurements from fresh specimens :— 

 10 x 7 cm. (4 x 2f in.), 7"5 x 5 cm. (3x2 in.), 13 x 6 cm. (5 x 2^ in.), all being 

 broadly lanceolate ; 6ox 6 cm. (2Jx2in.) ovate. So that E. obtusiflora should be 

 regarded as a species with broad, sucker leaves. It is not easy to get representative 

 specimens from this and allied species. As a rule, they can only be got a few months 

 after a bush fire. This is one of the few localities in which I have observed this 

 species and E. virgata together. 



The fruits are more or less urceolate (particularly when young), and the rims 

 may be thinnish (particularly when young) to thick and flat-topped. Sometimes they 

 may be warted (8c), and such fruits may be reminiscent of those of E. virgata. For 

 the fruits of E. obtusiflora. see Plate 43. 



