46 J. H. MAIDEN. 



and therefore one was placed with Aspidium and the other 

 with Poly podium. Everybody who takes an interest in 

 Australian ferns must have noticed the striking similarity 

 of a certain group of Polypodiums (P. proliferum, 

 urophyllum, etc), with the genus Nephrodium in the 

 Synopsis Filicum, or Aspidium (Section Nephrodium) in 

 the Flora Australiensis ; they clearly form one natural 

 well-defined genus, but they were separated into two 

 genera because the indusium is present in some species and 

 absent in others. 



The Division " Embryophyta Siphonogama " of Engler 

 (Phanerogams) comprises the sub-divisions Gymnospermae 

 and Angiospermae ; the former have only a few living 

 Families, but more extinct ones known only by fragmentary 

 fossil remains, and are now recognised as a transition from 

 the fiowerless plants to flowering plants; the latter are 

 divided into two classes Monocotyledoneae and Dicotyle- 

 doneae. 



The Monocotyledoneae are divided into series or groups of 

 Families, and commence with the lowest following plants, 

 the Typhaceae, Pandanaceae, Sparganiaceae, Potamogeton- 

 aceae, Najadaceae, etc., mostly water and swamp plants 

 fertilized by wind or water, and end with the most highly 

 and developed Orchidaceae. The Dicotyledoneae are first 

 divided into two sub-classes, the Archichlamydeae (Chori- 

 petaleae and Apetaleae) and the Metachlamydeae Synpetalae 

 (Monopetaleae) ; the Archichlamydeae commence again 

 with the lowest families, the wind-fertilized Oasuarineae, 

 Piperaceae, Salicaceae, etc., and end with the Umbelliferae; 

 the Metachlamydeae commence with Pirolaceae, Ericaceae, 

 etc., and end with the highest family of plants, the Oom- 

 positae. 



There is being printed, at the present time, a Census of 

 New South Wales Plants, by my colleague, Mr. Ernst 



