548 



Bentham's Subseries Cornutae of Normales includes as one of its characters 

 " Stamens erect or flexuose (having turns or windings or bendings, J.ILM.) in the bud, 

 but not inflected." This includes : — 



E. Lehmanni (Erect in bud as in E. cornuta). 



E. cornuta (Erect or slightly flexuose in bud, but not inflected). 



E. annulata (Straight as in E. cornuta). 



E. 'platypus, E. macrandra., E. occidentalis (Erect as in E. cornuta). 



E. spatkulala (Erect, slightly flexuose). 



Though not in the same Subseries, we may add — 



E. leptopoda " Flexuose."' 



E. marginata " Very flexuose, but not inflected in the bud." 



It may be desirable to consider what different authors mean by " flexuose." 

 If we turn to " Eucalyptographia " we see illustrations of a waviness or flexuosity 

 (a comparatively gross character) in a number of species, but this must not be confused 

 with the minute crimp iness or waviness of each filament, particularly observable in 

 the Cornutas. 



The inflection is so sharp in some species as to be referred to in the vernacular 

 as a " kink." Bentham has the following notes on four species : — 



E. uncinala. — Filaments inflected with an acute angle, as in E. corynocalyx and E. decurva. (See 

 fig, 8&, Plate 62.) 



E. micranthera. — Inflected, sometimes almost as acutely so as in E. corynocalyx and E. uncinata. 

 E. corynocalyx. — Filaments . . . acutely inflected in the bud as in E. uncinata. 

 E. decurva. — Acutely inflected as in E. uncinata and E. corynocalyx. 



(I have added E. falcata; also E. leptopJiylla, until recently confused with 

 E. uncinata.) 



Mueller (" Eucalyptographia "). In the definition of the genus we have 

 "... filaments all inflexed while in bud or rarely the outer or very seldom all 

 fi laments straight before expansion." 



The inflexion, or absence of it, is a question of length of operculum. Mueller 

 realises this, when, under E. occidentalis, he says : — 



" Inflection of filaments not an absolute specific character, as they accommodate themselves in 

 E. tereticomis according to the length of the operculum, being quite straight in bud when the lid is so 

 elongated as to allow them full space." Also, under E. rosirata, he says : " The filaments are also often 

 straight while in bud, as in E. cornuta and its allies, through not being forced to inflexion within the long 

 cavity of the lid." 



In this work, Part VII, p. 198, under E. diversifolia (santalifolia of Mueller) 

 a passage is quoted from the " Eucalyptographia," saying " The cardinal characteristics 

 of E. santalifolia rests in the position of the stamens before their expansion," &c, 

 with a reference to those of E. Planchoniana. I have examined the filaments of these 

 two species, but have failed to find any distinct bend in the lower portion of the 

 filament. Tn a dry state many are flexuose, while others are straight. 



