9 
ovate, yellowisli ; staminodia 5, clavate 
or suhnlate-lineaTi very small ; styles 
short, connate into a straight single one ; 
stigmas jointed; capsule about three times 
shorter than the calyx, ovate, short-stalked, 
few-seedcd ; seeds kidney-shaped, on 
funicles. 
Near the sources of the Victoria Eiver, also 
on Hooker’s Creek and Stiud’s Creek. 
Herb about ^ high. Leaves broad, 
and (particularly the upper ones) less than 
1" long. Bracts nearly of the form and 
size of the sepals. Idie latter whitish, 
with a slight yellow touch, about 1^'" long, 
of double tlie longlh of the coroUa. 
Petals towards the top as well as the 
sterile stamens red. Filaments almost 
flat. Capsule § line long. 
Folycarpma hremjlova. (Sect. Xataxera.) 
Glabrous, branched, erect ; leaves narrow- 
linear, by the rcciirved margins filiform, 
awnless; stipules lanceolate, long-acumi- 
nate, somewhat lacerated; cymes laxe; 
se^pals minute, ovate, rather acute, quite 
scarious, nearly nerveless, of unequal 
length; petals from abroad base gradually 
drawn to a point, concrete w'ith the stamens 
tow'ards the base, longer than the stamens, 
at last bifid at the apex ; sterile stamens 
wanting; styles short aatwell as the 
stigmas in coalition ; capsule somewhat 
longer than the calyx, ovate, with attenuate 
apex, on a very short stalk ; seeds few, 
very small, grey, shining, kidney-shaped ; 
slightly wrinkled ; funicles extremely 
short. 
At the Gulf of Carpentaria. 
Leaves 4-8'* long, about V" broad. Bracts 
nearly ovate, acute, denticulate, scarcely 
long. Sepals about 1'" long, consider- 
ably longer than the petals, slightly yel- 
lowish, Style comparatively thick. Cap- 
sule rigid, 
A plant closely allied to this species, and 
possibly only a variety of it, occurs on 
Morcton Island. It differs in downy 
stems, more pointed sepals, less 
attenuated capsules, which are a little 
shorter than the calyx. The fiowers are 
equally minute. 
iPolycarprea involucrata. (Sect. Kataxera.) 
Erect, floccosc-dowmy, branched ; leaves 
glabrcscent, ciliolate, narrow-lanceolate, 
scarcely recurved at the margin, with a 
deciduous inucro ; stipides lanceolate, 
setaceous-acuminate, scantily fimbriate ; 
jiowers in sessile heads, which are disposed 
in cymes, and suProunded' hy leaves; 
sepals white, narrow lanceolate, gradually 
drawm out into a very acute apex, quite 
scarious, with obliterated nerve,* some- 
what ciliolate, almost of equal length; 
petals narrow^ lanceolate, only at the base 
connected with the filaments and to each 
other, longer than the stamens ; stami- 
nodia not developed ; style exceedingly 
short; stigmas coadnn ate ; capsxde about 
three times .shorter than the calyx, ovate, 
many-seeded, nearly sessile ; placenta 
long ; seeds ohlique ovate, brown-yellow, 
scarcely Avnnkled. 
On Hooker’s Creek, Sturt’s Creek, and 
near the sources of the Victoria River. 
A dwarf herb, producing many stems from 
its seemingly annual root. Leaves 2-6*' 
long, broad. Flowu'rheads in the 
forks and axils of the branches and ter- 
minal, with several, or only a few 
flowers. Sepals about 2*' long, nearly 
three times longer than the corolla. Fila- 
ments linear-subulate. Anthei’s almost 
ovate. Stigmas concrete. Capsule 1" 
No. 1, 6. 
long. Seeds measuring about T, occa- 
sionally approacking to a tetraedrous 
form. 
The leafy inflorescence gives to this species 
quite a singular appearance. 
The principal chai*acters on which, accord- 
ing to tJie widely different notes fur- 
nished of it by Martins and F'enzl, the 
genus Aylmeria is founded, consist in the 
coherence of petals and stamens into 
one tube, and in the presence of stami- 
nodia and funicles. How far on the 
simultaneous occurrence of these marks of 
distinction can be relied, will be observed 
by the perusal of the proceeding pages. 
, I had, therefore, in reviewing the new 
Australian species, no hesitation to com- 
bine Aylmeria with Polycarpa'a, although 
1 had no opportunity as yet of examining 
the two West Australian species, on 
w^hich the former genus was established. 
PoBTULACE-aE. 
Gunnia. 
Calyx deej)ly quadrifid, with semilanceolate 
lobes. Petals wanting. Filaments four, 
cajnllary. inserted to the calyx, alternate 
with its lobes. Anthers dorsifixed, two- 
celled. bursting longitudinally. Stigmata 
four, filiform, recurved. Capsule mem- 
braneous, fo)ir-ceDed, four-valvod, with 
septicidal dehiscence, its lower portion 
coimate Avith the base of the calyx. Seeds 
numci’ous, affixed to the quadrangular- 
ovate columella, very small, ovate-pear- 
shaped, transparent. Embryo horseshoe- 
shaped, encircling partially the albumen. 
I have dedicated this interesting genus to 
Ronald Gunn, Esq., FVR,iS.. M.L.C., the 
meritorious investigator of the Tasmanian 
plants. The orchideous genus, which bore 
my friend’s name has been lately referred 
to Sarcochilus. (Conf. Fragmenta Phyto- 
graphise AustraliED I, 4, p. 90.) 
Giinnia septifraga. 
Stuart’s Creek. ^ 
Only a small specimen is contained in the 
collection. Seemingly an annual minute 
herb, glabrous, erect, with cymose ramifi- 
cation. Leaves lines r-semiterete. at the 
base of the cyme quaternate, under the 
lateral flowers in single pairs, opposite, 
2-3 lines long, blunt, slightly decurrent, 
none besides those at the nodes of the 
stem and branches. Calyx almost sessile 
or on a short peduncle, Avheu in flower 
2 linos, when in fruit 2^ lines long. Fila- 
ments about 1 line long, glabrous. Anthers 
yellow. Stigmas very tender, half a line 
long. Styles none. Capsule, at the 
slightest touch of a.nj humid substance, 
suddenly and completely burstiiig, the 
se])ta breaking entirely from the columelia 
and each of them separating into tw^o 
extremely tender membi’anous lamina), 
Avhich form then an elegant seri’ated or 
crested wing inward around each valve. 
Seeds shining, pale fulvous. 
The septicidal dehiscence of the capsule 
distingiiishes at once this genus from all 
others of the order. 
Sesuvium qttadrijidum. 
A perennial plant, in every part pale furfur- 
aceous-papillose ; branches di ohotomous, 
equally cylindrical ; leaves as long as or 
shorter than the internodes, Imear-semi- 
terete, fleshy, almost blunt, not mem- 
branous at the base; flowers poly androus, 
tetragynoiis, in the axis of the branches 
or terminal, solitary; calyx deeply four- 
cleft, longer than the peduncles ; its lobes 
ovate-lanccolate, acuminate, of unequal 
