Polygalea ?.] 
THE COLONY OE VICTORIA. 
187 
dage of the seeds. This character seems to point additionally to the relationship of Polygalese to Tremandrese, 
which in most cases are also provided with a strophiolar terminal appendage, although arising from the 
chalaza and not from the hilum. In Catacoma, according to Bentham and Steetz, the two lateral minute 
scale-like petals, which also occur in one species of Comesperma, are always present ; the other petals are less 
highly connate, the capsules carnulent and never distinctly stipitate, whilst the seeds are enveloped in long 
soft hair arising from near the hilum solely and not from the testa generally or its margin or apex. 
Sect. II. Disepalum, Steetz , in Lehm. Plant . Preiss. ii. 309. 
Leaves conspicuous. Anterior sepals concrete into one, all much shorter than the wings. Cap¬ 
sule attenuated into a stipes. Seeds long-downy. Strophiole obliterated, sometimes extended to the 
chalaza and thence dilated. 
Comesperma polygaloides, F. if. in Transact. Phil. Soc. Viet . i. 7. 
Dwarf, smooth, erect, herbaceous ; leaves oblong - or linear-lanceolate, glaucous, flat, with hardly 
prominent keel ; racemes man} T -flowered, hardly pedunculate; pedicels shorter than the flower ; lateral 
bracteoles about half as long as the middle one; anterior sepals connate into one, all much shorter than the 
purplish wings; petals smooth; carina almost as long as the wings; filaments nearly to the summit dia- 
delphous; capsule narrowly spathulate-cuneate, long attenuated into the base, much longer than the slightly 
spreading pedicel; seeds ellipsoid, everywhere long-hairy; strophiole obliterated; cotyledons elliptical. 
Scattered over less fertile plains and low ridges of the southern and western parts of the colony; for 
instance, occurring- near Station Peak; near Skipton according to the Rev. W. Whan; on the Avoca and 
towards the Grampians. In South Australia found at Rivoli Bay and Encounter Bay, in Kangaroo Island 
according to Mr. Waterhouse, and near Spencer’s Gulf according to Major Warburton. 
A perennial erect herb, of great external resemblance to certain varieties of Comesperma calymegum 
and also to Polygala vulgaris, from a few’ inches to about 1 foot high. Root often tortuose. Stems usually 
a few from each root, cylindrical, simple or few-branched. Leaves rather copious, flat, 3-8 lines long, f-2 
lines broad, rather acute than blunt, one-nerved, not distinctly veined. Racemes 1-4 inches long, with but 
a very short distinct peduncle. Pedicels twice or thrice shorter than the expanded flower. Bracteoles very 
early dropping, narrow- or linear-lanceolate, somewhat cymbiform, long-pointed; the middle one of about 1 
line leng-th, nearly twice as long as the lateral bracteoles. Outer sepals roundish-rhomboid, about 1 line 
long; the anterior either slightly emarginate, or oftener by less complete concrescence of the two, which 
form it, divided from J of its length into tw’o more or less blunt or acute lobes; posterior sepal rather acute; 
inner sepals petaloid, pink, tinged with green, seldom white, seemingly never blue, 2|-3 lines long, obovate- 
spathulate, blunt; the lamina gradually tapering to the unguis, indexed at the margin. Carinal petal 
short-trilobed; its galea blunt, slightly cleft in front, about 1 line long, yellow. Lateral petals almost 
narrow-spathulate, hardly longer than the carina, glabrous, very minutely denticulated, pale towards the 
base, purple towards the summit. Filaments highly adnate, monadelphous to above the middle, thence 
divided into two bundles; the four free parts of the filaments of each bundle even shorter than the anthers, 
which are only about J line long, yellow’ and truncate-cylindrical. Pollen-grains spherical. Style smooth, 
curved, compressed, nearly 2 lines long-, upwards gradually dilated, at the almost truncate summit slightly 
bilobed; the upper lobe somewhat pointed; the lower bearing the yellow spherical stigmatic gland. Capsule 
little more than 1 fine broad, w r ith addition of the stipes about 4 lines long, truncate at the summit and with 
a small projecting middle tooth, each angle of the summit protracted into a minute triangular membrane. 
Seeds ellipsoid, about 1 line long-; their soft white silky hair arising from every part of the testa, extending 
long- beyond the summit. Albumen rather scanty, surrounding the elliptical cotyledons and the very short 
radicle. 
2 A 2 
