144 
PLANTS INDIGENOUS TO 
[Bxiettnmacew.. 
Ziasiopetalum dasyphyllum, Sieb. in Hook. Journ. of Bot. ii. 414 (exclus. var. a) ; L. Gunnii 
Steetz, in Lehm. Enum. Plant. Austral, ii. 342; J. Hook. Flor. Tasman. i. 51; L. Wilhelmii, F. JI. in 
Transact. Phil. Inst. Viet. ii. 65. 
Leaves alternate, often large, lanceolate- or cordate-ovate, rarely oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong or 
cordate, entire, flat, beneath finally pale- and short-velutinous; flowers crowded into an almost capitate cyme, 
rather numerous, covered with an usually dark- or rust-brown rarely grev-brown tomentum; peduncles 
shorter than the cyme; segments of the bracteole ovate-lanceolate , shorter than the calyx , rarely about as 
long as the calyx; lobes of the calyx inside glabrous or slightly downy, many-nerved, semilanceolate- 
deltoid; anthers subovate, hardly as long as the filaments, finally bursting lengthwise ,* style glabrous or 
frequently the lower portion velutinous ; ovary tomentose ; capsule 3-4-celled, rarely 5-celled, outside star- 
hairy ; longer lobes of the strophiole less than half as long* as the seed. 
On the highest declivities of the Grampians near Rose’s Gap, C. Wilhelmi; on the gTanitic ridges near 
Comer Inlet, on Mount Hunter, at Shady and Monkey Creek; more frequent towards the eastern boundary 
line of Gipps Land; thence extending to the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, to the Islands of Bass’s 
Straits and to the north-western coast of Tasmania. 
A shrub from a few to 12 feet high, often simply branched. Young branches densely covered with 
starry dark- or rust-brown hair. Leaves usually 2-4 rarely to 6 occasionally only about 1| inches long, 
from a broad rounded or cordate base protracted gradually into an acute rarely obtuse apex, in respective 
varieties reduced to the width of J inch or widened folly to 3 inches, always penninerved, distinctly veined, 
above somewhat wrinkled and early glabrescent, sometimes yellow-variegated, clothed beneath with at first 
partially rust-brown at last grey or whitish star-hair. Cymes oftener many-flowered than few-flowered, 
opposite to the leaVes, with 2-4 divergent short rays, at first by the curvature of the peduncle drooping, at 
last somewhat expanding, yet retaining the flowers much more crowded than in the antecedent species. 
I lowers sessile or on very short stalks. Bracts subulate-linear, 2—4 rarely 1 line long, laxly grey- and 
brownish-tomentose. Bracteoles rather variable in form, yet. not radiating, nor (as stated in the Plant. 
Preiss.), as far as inspection of our specimens teaches, linear, always on both sides vehitinous-tomentose, but 
on the inner side paler. Flowers always hermaphrodite. Calyx about 4 lines long; its lobes not rarely inside 
bearded by a line of starry tomentiun, which extends parallel to the margin. Petals spatliulate- or orbicular- 
ovate, black-purple or brownish, J—J line long, usually glabrous, but occasionally (as remarked by Dr. Steetz) 
beset with a few hairs, sometimes a little pointed. Filaments linear-setaceous, somewhat rarely considerably 
excelling the length of the anther, which measures usually § line, is publish-black or dark-brown, not 
manifestly contracted towards the apex, rather truncate-oblong, with lightly emarginate base, and splits 
often in age partially or perfectly at its longitudinal sutures. Style about line long, towards the middle 
or near the base articulated; its lower joint white-tomentose; both joints long persistent. Stigmas 3-5, 
very minute. Capsule of the size of a large pea, nearly as often three-celled as four-celled, but much less 
frequently five-celled, either sparingly downy or quite glabrous inside. Seeds ellipsoid, about 1 line long, 
slightly downy, black. Strophiole somewhat cupular, either fulvous or whitish, "with 2 sometimes 3 narrow 
lacinice. 
Lasiopetalum confertiflorum (F. M. in Linneea, 1852, p. 377), from Spencers Gulf and Kangaroo Island, 
accords well in form of leaves and arrangement of flowers with L. dasyphyllum, but may at once be recognized 
by the purplish radiating bracteoles, which exceed considerably the length of the calyx. How far L. confer¬ 
tiflorum is in its notes congruous with L. discolor (Hook, in Compan. to Bot. M&g. i. 276) the author has at 
present no means of ascertaining, although from Dr. Jos. Hooker’s remarks (in Flor. Tasm. i. 50) it would 
appeal that both share in those characteristic involucre-like bracteoles. Am ongst West Australian plants L. 
capitellatum (lurez. 1. c.) will be found comparable with L. dasyphyllum; and the affinity to L. quinquener- 
\ ium (Turcz. 1. c.) is perhaps still closer, the calyx of the latter is, however, inside tomentose outside grey 
hairy, the cyme expanded and the bracteole divided into linear-filiform segments. 
