Capparidece.\ 
THE COLONY OE VICTORIA. 
53 
Busbeckea Mitcbellii, F. 31.; Capparis Mitchelli, IAndley, in Mitchell's Three Exped . i. 315. 
A spreading’ tree; leaves pale ovate or oblong- or lanceolate-elliptical, on both sides or beneath as well 
as the branchlets and pedicels very thinly grey-velvety; pedicels solitary, thickened towards the apex; petals 6, 
imperfectly appressed downy, eroso-denticulate; stipes of ovary downy; berry large, globose, glabrescent. 
In the Mallee Scrub,, near Eustone, according to Mr. Commissioner Cole. Extending* beyond Victoria, 
from Lake Torrens and Mount Murchison to Cooper’s Creek, the Upper Darling and Burdekin River, and 
their tributaries, and thence frilly to the plains of promise on the Gulf of Carpentaria. 
A small tree, sometimes attaining a height of 30 feet. Branchlets in youth often flexuose. Stipules 
recurved, subulate, about 1 line long, frequently wanting. Leaves |-3 inches long, one-nerved, finely or 
obscurely veined, thickly herbaceous and thus very brittle in exsiccation, beneath glaucous, above particu¬ 
larly in age rather smooth. Petioles from 3-5 lines long. Pedicels lateral, axillary or terminal, stout, 
articulated with the branchlets, curved, 1-2 inches long. Unexpanded calyx globose, short- or long- 
acuminate, perfectly closed or bifid at the apex, outside covered with very thin glaucous velvet, by the 
gradual development of the flower breaking into two more or less irregular thick nerveless valves and also 
separating from the receptacle, not however as that of the genus Thylacliium transversely bursting; their 
length J-f inch; fracture uneven. The two outer petals, or rather the two inner sepals, obcordate or 
orbicular, from 4-8 lines long, rather thick, inside particularly towards the middle appressed villous, outside 
with exception of the crenulate margin fulvous-silky. Inner petals obovate- or obcordate-cuneate, tapering 
into a more or less conspicuous or obliterated claw, frilly 1 inch long, slightly carnulent, principally towards 
the base and middle downy with closely appressed articulated hair. Eilaments about 2 inches long, gradually 
attenuated into the apex, quite glabrous. Sometimes occur one or two deformed stamens, not dissimilar to 
the staminodium of Cadaba heterotricha and other species, showing strikingly the metamorphosis of petals into 
stamens, in having an almost filiform but downy unguis and a petaloid somewhat silky crenulate orbicular 
or dimidiate-orbicular lamina, in the latter case also a dimidiate anther; the lamina measuring lj-2 lines. 
Anthers oblong, hardly longer than 1 line, introrse, with subcordate base, recurved in age; cells ad’nate to 
the slightly protruding connective, bursting lengthwise. Stipes of ovary 2 inches long, beset with short 
crisp hair. Ovary fusiform-ovate, silky, probably blue when fresh, assuming, at least in tepid water, as 
well as the upper part of the stalk and the depressed stigma, an indigo color. Berry brown, provided with a 
firm stalk, spherical, measuring when ripe at least 2 inches, sometimes smooth, sometimes irregularly 
traversed by amorphous ridges or conspersed with little warts or tubercles, soon glabrous. Pericarp a thick 
crust. Pulp seemingly not succulent. Seeds 4-5 lines long, roundish- or oblique-ovate, somewhat renate 
and slightly compressed. Testa brown, smooth, crustaceous. Endopleura tliickish, membranous, white. 
Embryo of bitter taste, white, coiled up in a double or trifold circle. Cotyledons centripetal, about 2 lines 
long, either flat and complicate in their whole length or cylindrical towards the base. Radicle solid, cylin¬ 
drical, 8-10 lines long. 
Supplemental Plate IV. 1, seedling; 2, side view of flower; 3, front view of flower; 4, 5, 6, 
valves of calyx; 7, 8, 9, outer petals; 10, 11, 12, inner petals; 13, unexpanded petals; 14, petaloid stami¬ 
nodium; 15, semipetaloid staminodium, bearing a dimidiate anther; 16, stamens unexpanded; all figures 
natural size; 17, 18, anthers, magnified; 19, pollen-grains, strongly magnified; 20, peduncle, stipes and 
pistil, natural size; 21, ovaiy, magnified; 22, fruit, natural size; 23, transverse section of fruit, natural size; 
24-27, embryo, natural size; 28, transverse section of seeds, natural size; 29, 30, embryo, magnified. 
i 
