in Australia.] INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXXvii 



c. Between three-fourths and one-half not endemic : — 



Cruciferaa. Verbenaceae. Euphorbiaceas. Liliaeeae. 



Sapindaceas. Labiatae. Orckideae. Cyperaceae. 



Lobeliaceae. Ckenopodieae. Smilaceae. Gramiaesa. 



Apocynese. Amarantkaceae. 



The above estimates are very rude, and intended to show tendencies in the general vegetation. 

 It appears from them, that out of the twenty-five Orders, half of whose genera are endemic, but few 

 are really much restricted in distribution ; and that there are thirty-nine Orders universally distributed 

 over the globe which play a conspicuous part in the vegetation of Australia, but of whose genera less 

 than half are peculiar to that country. On the other hand, the twenty-three first-named Orders com- 

 prise considerably more than half the species of Australian Flowering Plants. 



In point of number of species they contain, the Australian genera may be arranged approxi- 

 mately, as follows. 



Above 200 species, — Above 100 species, — 



Acacia. 



Eucalyptus. 



Leucopogon. Grevillea. 





Melaleuca. 



Stylidium. 



Hakea. 



Above 50 species, — 









Pimelea. 



Daviesia. 



Dryandra. 



Drosera. 



Goodenia. 



Eurybia. 



Lepidosperrna. 



Dampiera. 



Persoonia. 



Boronia. 



Xerotes. 



Helichrysum. 



Pultenaea. 



Banksia. 



Dodonaea. 



Trichinium. 



These genera together comprise upwards of 2,000 species, are almost without exception very 

 characteristic of extratropical Australian vegetation, and nearly all are highly characteristic of Aus- 

 tralia and its islands. 



One-half of the genera of Australian Flowering Plants are included in the following Orders : — 



1. Composite. 5. Cyperaceas. 9. Proteaceas. 12. Goodeuiaceas. 



2. Leguminosas. 6. Eupkorbiaceaa. 10. Scropkularineae. 13. Liliaeeas. 



3. Gramineae. 7. Orckideaa. 11. Kubiaceae. 14. Labiataa. 



4. Myrtaceaa. 8. Epacrideaa. 



Of the peculiar genera of Australia, on the other hand, one-half of the whole are comprised in 

 the following Orders : — 



1. Compositaa. 4. Epacrideaa. 6. Goodeniaceaa. S. Orckideaa. 



2. Leguminosaa. 5. Proteaeeaa. 7. Liliaceaa. 9. Eupkorbiaceae. 



3. Myrtaceae. 



Had I the materials, it would have been interesting to have extended this inquiry to the 

 character of the genera themselves, and especially as to whether the arboreous or herbaceous pre- 

 vailed, one of the most striking characters of the Australian vegetation being the great number of 

 peculiar genera, amongst which a large proportion are trees or large shrubs. 



