Polygalece.] 
THE COLONY OF VICTORIA. 
189 
truncate base, glabrous, pale, at the back and towards the summit usually blue. Wings approximately 2 
lines long, entirely cyan-blue, rarely rose-red, beautifully veined, longer than the carina. Posterior petals 
lalcate-lanceolate, to the length of nearly 1 line free, upwards dark-blue, downward white, somewhat longer 
than the carina. Galea of the latter yellow, biplicate and thus short-trilobed. Anthers yellow, about J line 
long. Free portion of filaments extremely delicate. Style 1-1J line long, short-bilobed; its upper lobe 
membranous ; the lower one thick and stigmatose. Capsule with addition of its stalk-like portion 3-4 lines 
long, apiculate in the terminal oblique emarginature, at the apical angles produced into a narrow rather 
prominent than obtuse wing. Seed-hair, as noted already by Dr. Hooker, singularly curly, white, copious, 
extremely tender, not readily seceding, several times longer than the seed. Seed about § line long. Albumen 
almost none. Cotyledons about J line long, plane-convex, many times longer than the very minute radicle. 
C. strictum, which occurs in S.W. Australia and has been traced northward by Messrs. Oldfield and 
Walcott as far as the Murchison River, seems not to have sufficient claim for specific distinction from C. 
calymega. 
Comesperma defoliatum.—C. nudiusculum, Steetz, in Lelim . PI. Preiss . ii. 308. 
Erect or ascendent, herbaceous; stems extremely slender, furrowed, angular, leafless or with few 
lanceolate- or subulate-linear leaves ; racemes remotely many-flowered, pedunculate, usually blue; pedicels 
shorter than the flowers; lateral bracteoles more than half as long as the ovate-lanceolate middle one; 
exterior sepals oblong , disconnected, exceeding half the length of the spatlmlate-elliptical wings; corolla 
glabrous; filaments to about the middle monadelphous, thence free; upper lobe of the style broad, bearded ; 
capsule spathulate , rounded at the summit, attenuated into a very long stipes, much longer than the pedicel; 
seeds broad-ovate, comose with long straight villi arising from near the chalazal extremity; cotyledons 
orbicular-ovate. 
Scattered over sandy-heathy ridges from Port Phillip to the Broadribb River. In Tasmania found 
near Southport; in New South Wales at Illawarra b}' Mr. Shepherd, at the Clarence River by Dr. Beckler. 
A wiry herb, more slender than any of its congeners. Root tortuous, descending, externally upwards 
somewhat spongy. Stems simple or few-branched, usually varying in height between I and 2 feet, glabrous, 
by the early fall or imperfect development of the leaves wholly or partially leafless. Leaves remote, acute, 
1-1 line broad; the lower ones from a few to about 9 lines long, the upper ones often reduced to the length 
of 2 lines. Racemes finally from 2-4 inches long. Middle bracteole about 1 line long, more or less acute or 
blunt, somewhat cymbiform. Exterior sepals concurved, 1J-2 lines long, glabrous, membranous, generally 
tinged with blue. Wings tender, about 2 J lines long, ascendent, glabrous, longer than the carina. Posterior 
petals also conspicuously longer than the carina, falcate-lanceolate. Galea biplicate-trilobed. Anthers about 
i line long. Filaments extremely fine. Style about 1J line long; its upper lobe membranous, concave, 
forming almost an indusium to the lower recurved stigmatic lobe. t Capsule 3J-5 lines long, lined with but 
a very narrow border at the summit. Seeds about § fine long, clothed with short mostly oppressed hair 
except towards the summit, from whence descend copious extremely soft white hair of a few lines length. 
Albumen very scantily developed. Radicle exceedingly minute. 
The diagnosis points out the main notes which distinguish C. defoliatum from C. calymega. The habit 
is widely different, imitating according to Dr. Steetz that of C. ramosissimum, in which species probably the 
real C. nudiusculum is to be sought, since De Candolle (Prodr. i. 334) assigns King' George’s Sound as the 
native locality to that species. Our plant agrees frilly with the description of his C. nudiusculum offered by 
Dr. Steetz from Bauer’s specimens, which were collected promiscuously with C. sphserocarpum and doubtless 
near Port Jackson. Comparing' the description of C. ramosissimum we find, that this species differs from 
C. defoliatum in cylindrical stems, more numerous leaves, anterior connate sepals, blunt and slightly downy 
posterior petals, a beardless upper lobe of the style, and short-stalked roundish along the whole margin 
narrowly winged capsules. 
