5 
Australian Alps, hitherto unexplored, and perhaps the only locality from 
which additions may he expected of importance to our knowledge of the 
Alpine Flora. 
Reflecting on the general results of this journey, I trust to he justified 
in considering them not without some importance, at least for the geography 
of plants. The expedition was planned more with a view of ascertaining the 
alliance between the vegetation of the Alps of Australia and plants of other 
countries, than with anticipations of largely enriching thereby the number of 
plants already under notice. Still, by referring to the enumeration annexed 
to this document, and to my former annual reports, it will be observed, that 
the total amount of either truly alpine, or at least subalpine plants of this 
country, exceeds 100 species, and it is pleasant to perceive that half of these 
are endemic, or not yet elsewhere discovered ; whilst by fixr tlie greater part 
of the other half comprises such as inhabit Tasmania, or are likewise natives 
of Xew Zealand. A much smaller proportion is identical with plants found 
exclusively in New Zealand, or Lord Auckland’s Group, or Campbell’s Island. 
The genus Drapetes, for a long time only known in Fuegia, is now ascertained 
to exist, with other plants from the cold zone of South America, in the 
Australian Alps, New Zealand, Tasmania, and Borneo, and many other 
instances might be adduced to show tlie typical resemblance of many plants 
from the Alps of Australia with those of distant countries. /^As a most 
surprising fact in this regard, I beg to allude to the sudden rcappeai'ance 
of several European plants in the heart of the Australian Alps, plants which 
may be searched for in vain in the intervening country, viz. ; — Turiitis glabra, 
Sagina procumbens, Alchemilla vulgaris, Veronica serpillifolia, Carex Pyre- 
naica, Carex echinata, Carex canesceus, Carex Buxbaumii, and Botrychium 
Lunaria^ I may also advert to ‘the occun-ence of Lysimachia vulgaris in 
tbe Gipps’ Land morasses as another singular instance of the enigmatic 
laws wliich rule the distribution of plants, and I cannot suppress my opinion 
that such facts tend to annihilate all theories in favor of migration of species 
from supposed centres of creation. 
The Index which I have annexed comprises also a large number of 
seaweeds, discovered by Professor Harvey, and adds thus 96 genera and 327 
species to my previous enumerations, advancing the number of the former to 
776, a sum which, as excluding all yet introduced plants, all fungi, and many 
undetermined genera of the lower orders, must be considered eminently large. 
The number of species ascertained to occur in Victoria exceeds, under the 
exclusions alluded to, already 2000. Excluding all algm, 15 genera have 
been added to the Flora of this continent, two of them new to science — 
Caltha, llowittia, Colobanthus, Dichopetalum, Pozoa, Diplaspis, Seseli, 
Diodia, Nertera, Decaspora, Pajderota, Drapetes, Herpolirion, Astelia, and 
Andiaea. 
Seeds of native plants were collected, whenever obtainable, and have 
been distributed (in more than 1000 lots) with a view of increasing by 
interchange the supply for our own establishment to the best advantage. It 
is my pleasing duty to acknovvdedge here the valuable contributions for our 
gardens, received in return for my former collections, amongst which contribu- 
tions those of Sir William Hooker, from the Royal Gardens at Kew, are 
prominent. 
