332 



plants growing wild or cultivated in the Sydney district, but I feel that observers who 

 desire to continue the work may get over the difficulty in many cases by packing the 

 leaves in closely shut tins, and posting them, provided that they are not longer than a 

 day or two in the receptacle. 



I tried, while, in the bush, to imitate the records by blotches of water colour, but 

 failed; oil colours would be better, but I had neither the ability nor the time to adopt 

 this method. 



It is understood, of course, that my observations are so few that there is but 

 little opportunity for generalisation. Without going so far as to say that in all cases the 

 botanist of the future will be able to determine every species by the colour of its flush, 

 I believe that my observations in regard to the matter (most of them not standardised) 

 justify the belief that a number of species, and some groups, can be diagnosed by this 

 means. I quote the dates and localities, because we have yet to learn whether the 

 colour varies to any extent with these variables. 



Each species (or rather each plant, for each plant varies somewhat within the 

 species) has an optimum, for colour, which requires to be ascertained. It will, therefore, 

 be necessary to make a number of observations (as many as possible should be made 

 on the same tree) before we ascertain the colour which we record as most characteristic 

 of the species. 



In seme cases (not reproduced) I have marked the colours " secondary," as I 

 am of opinion that they are not characteristic of the species, but represent one or more 

 outside colours. In a few I have noted the colours of the young twigs, for whatever 

 they may be worth. In most cases the colour-references have been made by Miss 

 Margaret Flockton or Mr. W. P. Blakely. Most of the leaves have been collected by 

 Mr. Blakely and Mr. J. L. Boorman. 



A. — The Renantherae preponderatingly cluster around vinous purple (Plate 171). 



E. microcorys, placed by Bentham and Mueller in this section, lias dull carmine 

 lake (Plate 10G), and in this respect and in a number of other characters {e.g., kino, 

 anthers, and seedlings), as I shall show in the present work it is so aberrant that it 

 should be removed from the Renanthera?. 



E. capitellata Sm. Port Jackson. Young foliage : ' Vinous purple," see 

 Plate 171. Very young foliage : " Garnet dull," Plate 163, shades 1-3. 



E. eugenioides Sieb. — 



1. Cabramatta, 10th July, 1917. Young foliage : " Vinous purple." Plate 171, 



shade 4. 



2. Bankstown, 23rd July. 1919, Plate 171, shades 1-3. 



3. Glenfield, 9th October, 1918 : " Slate violet," Plate 173, shades 1-4. 



E. pilularis Sm. Como, George's River, 9th September, 1916. Young foliage ; 

 " Vinous purple," Plate 171, shades 1-4. Young twigs angular and red. 



