XXVlii FLORA OF TASMANIA. [Eemarhi on the 



calyptra of Eucalyptus, stigma of Goodeniacece, staminal column of Stylidium, irritable labellum of 

 various Orchidece, flowers sunk in the wood of some Leptospermece, pericarp of Casuarina, receptacle 

 and inner staminodia of Eupomatia, stomata of Proteacece. 



On the other hand, if, disregarding the peculiarities of the Flora, I compare its elements with 

 those of the Floras of similarly situated large areas of land, or with that of the whole globe, I find 

 that there is so great an agreement between these, that it is impossible to regard Australian vegetation 

 in any other light than as forming a peculiar, but not an aberrant or anomalous, botanical province 

 of the existing Vegetable Kingdom. I find : — 



That the relative proportions of the great classes of Monocotyledons to Dicotyledons, of genera 

 to orders, and of species to genera, are the same as those which prevail in other Floras of equal 

 extent. 



That the subclasses distinguished by a greater or less complexity of the floral envelopes, or their 

 absence, as Thalamiflorce, Calyciflorce, Corolliflorce, etc., are also in the same relative proportions as 

 prevail in other Floras. 



That the proportion of Gymnospermous plants to other Dicotyledons is not increased. 



That all the Australian Natural Orders, with only two small exceptions, are also found in other 

 countries ; that most of those most widely diffused in Australia are such as are also the most widely 

 distributed over the globe ; and that Australia wants no known Order of general distribution. 



That the only two absolutely peculiar Natural Orders contain together only three genera, and 

 very few species ; they are, further, comparatively local in Australia, and are rather aberrant forms 

 of existing natural families than well-marked isolated groups : Brunoniacece being intermediate be- 

 tween Goodeniacece and Composite, and Tremandrece between Poly galea and Buettneriacece. 



That the large Natural Orders and Genera, which, though not absolutely restricted to Australia, 

 are there very abundant in species and rare elsewhere, and for which I shall hence adopt the term 

 Australian, stand in very close relationship to groups of plants which are widely spread over the 

 globe (as Epacridece to Ericece, Goodeniacece to Campanulacece, Stylidece to Lobeliacece, Casuarinm to 

 Myricce). " 



That these Australian Orders are exceedingly unequally distributed in Australia ; that there is 

 a greater specific difference between two quarters of Australia (south-eastern and south-western) 

 than between Australia and the rest of the globe ; and that the most marked characteristics of the 

 Flora are concentrated at that point which is geographically most remote from any other region 

 of the globe. 



That most of those Australian Orders and genera which are found in other countries around 

 Australia, have their maximum development in Australia at points Approximating in geographical 

 position towards those neighbouriug countries. Thus the peculiarly Indian features of the Flora 

 are most developed in north-western Australia, the Polynesian and Malayan in north-eastern, 

 the New Zealand and South American in south-eastern, and the South African in south-western 

 Australia. 



That of the nine largest Natural Orders, which together include a moiety of the Australian species 

 of flowering plants, no fewer than six belong to the nine largest Natural Orders of the whole world, 

 and five belong to the largest in India also. 



That in Australia itself, in advancing from the tropics to the coldest latitudes, or from the driest 

 to the most humid districts, or from the interior to the seashore, or in ascending the mountains, the 

 changes in vegetation are in every aspect analogous to what occur in other parts of the globe. 



