204 E. C. Andrews — The Geological History of the 



families here described almost all are small shrubby xerophytes 

 with special devices for conserving moisture. 



Stercidiacew. Here the tribe Lasiopetalese with 7 genera and 

 about TO species, almost entirely endemic and markedly xero- 

 phytic and mostly on the poor lands of Western Australia. A 

 monotypic genus and one or two doubtful species in this tribe 

 are said to occur in Madagascar. Other large xerophytic and 

 endemic genera belonging to this family also occur in Australia. 



Pittosporacece. This family has 9 genera, and about 110 

 species. Of these Pittosporum is a large luxuriant type with 

 about 70 species spread over the old world tropics and the mild 

 and moist extratropical areas in Australia and ISTew Zealand 

 (an exception in the xerophyte P. phillyrceoides) , the other 8 

 genera are endemic in Australia and are mainly xerophytes on 

 waste or open spaces or on hungry sandy areas. 



Tremandracew. This is a small family endemic in Australia 

 allied to the Pittosporacea?, containing 3 genera and about 25 

 species. All are xerophytes and of depauperate type, almost 

 confined to barren sandy wastes in extratropical Australia. 



Liliacew. This large family possesses many tribes and sub- 

 tribes endemic in Australia, all as depauperate and xerophytic 

 types and confined almost entirely to the extratropical barren 

 sandy wastes. 



' Tribe Xerotese, 3 genera. Between 30 and 40 species. 



The " Xanthorrheas, 2 genera. About 15 species, 



complete J " Calectasieaa, 3 genera. About 3 or 4 species. 



Tribes | " Tlagellariese, 1 genus (monotypic). 



Endemic " Drymophileae, 1 genus (monotypic). 



" Hemerocallidea?, 1 genus (oligotypic). 



The tribe Johnsonieae is endemic with 5 genera and about 20 

 species. 2 subtribes are endemic in the tribe Melanthaceas with 

 3 genera and 6 species. 1 subtribe is endemic in the tribe 

 Anthericese with 5 genera and 40 species. 



(6) Orchidacece. 



In this vast family about 48 genera are found in Australia. 

 Of these about 20 genera are practically Australian with about 

 160 species. In many of the genera, however, outliers occur 

 in ISTew Zealand. These remarkable genera, mainly peculiar to 

 Australia, are not epiphytes but occur as very small plants with 

 bulbs deeply set in the barren sandy soils, especially of extra- 

 tropical Australia. It would appear that the older luxuriant 



