15 
This curious plant attracted already Dr. Leichhardt’s attention, when passing in his 
discovery-journey over nearly the same tract of country where it was noticed by myself. Hence 
it is cursorily mentioned in the diary of that lamented traveller. 
The flowers of all the known Australian Loranthi are bisexual. 
COMPOSITE. 
BLUMEA WIGIITIANA. 
Cand. Prodr. v. 435. 
Port Denison. 
Port Molle. 
Sinclair Island. 
Magnetical Island. 
HELICHRYSUM BRACTEATUM. 
Willd. JSnum. Plant. 869. 
GOODENIACEiE. 
SCJEVOLA SUAVEOLENS. 
P. Br. Prodr . 585. 
DAMPIERA FERRUGINEA. 
R. Br. Prodr. 588. 
C AMPAN ULACEiE. 
LOBELIA SIMPLICICAULIS. 
R. Br. Prodr. 564 ; L. stricta, R. Br. 1. c. 
Without adnotation of locality. 
APOCYNEiE. 
LACTARIA CALOCARPA. 
Rasskarl Nederl. Kruidk. Arch. iv. 9 ; Miquel, Flora Indice Batavce, ii. 415 ; Bleekeria calocarpa, 
Hasskarl, in Retzia, i. 49 ; Walp. Annales Botanices Systematica, v. 492. 
Branchlets angular at the summit, glabrous. Petioles from ^-1 inch long. Leaves 3-6 
inches long, blunt or with a faint acumen, usually ovate, with gradually contracted base. 
Flowers wanting in the specimens gathered during the Burdekin expedition. Drupes about 2 
inches long, scarlet, ovate, turgid, short-pointed at the apex, very blunt at the base. Epicarp 
firmly adhering to the mesocarp, finely lined with four longitudinal sutures, which are almost 
equidistant, the lateral ones sharper expressed than the frontal and dorsal ones. Mesocarp 
fleshy, forming a layer of inch thickness around the putamen. The latter little shorter 
than the pericarp, ovate, lightly compressed, gradually tapering as well into the blunt base as 
into the short-acuminate or conspicuously rostrate apex, the sutural furrow descending on the 
one face half downward, on the other to the base ; its breadth nearly 1 inch ; its consistence 
woody ; its color in a macerated state livid. It is imperfectly divided into two carpels by the 
pergamentaceous plates of the endocarp, which penetrate as a dissepiment along the commissural 
side 5 of the carpels ; another septum parallel to the former being formed, separating the seed 
from the large lateral cells. The cavity of the latter extends widely upwards and downwards, 
and is filled with a firm oily medullar substance, having at a superficial inspection the appearance 
of large seeds, whilst the very compressed true seeds placed across the centre of the putamen 
appear at first sight abortive. Fertile seeds 2-3 in each cell above each other, one often abortive, 
plane-convex or very compressed, roundish, pale-brown, with addition of their flat wing-like 
margin inch long. Albumen white. Embryo almost as long as the albumen, white. Radicle 
superior, compressed, straight. Cotyledons broad-ovate, of about equal length with the radicle. 
Mr. Fitzalan observes that the milky juice, yielded by incisions into the bark, soon 
becomes extremely tenacious. It might perhaps therefore be drawn advantageously into use for 
the manufacture of indiarubber, should the plant prove to exist sufficiently abundant. 
It was reserved for this expedition to prove that this singular plant inhabits the eastern 
tropical shores of Australia. The nearest relation of Laetaria seems to Ochrosia. 
The order of Apocynea? comprises in Australia, as far as hitherto ascertained, members of 
the following genera — Chilocarpus, Melodinus, Carissa, Alyxia, Cerbera, Laetaria, Tabernasmon- 
tana, Lyonsia, Parsonsia, Balfouria, Wrightia and Alstonia. To these undoubtedly many others 
will be added when once phytologieal explorers are able to penetrate fully the jungles of North- 
East Australia. 
TABERNiEMONTANA ORIENTALIS. 
R. Br. Prodr. 468. 
Port Molle. 
Flowers scented. 
