Cai'yophyllece .] 
THE COLONY OE VICTORIA. 
213 
On rocky hills near Warrnambool; Sam. Hannaford. Found also in Tasmania, where it extends from 
the northern to the southern extremity, from the shores to the alps; observed also^ in New Zealand and in 
some of the antarctic islands. 
Root at first filiform and branched, later forming* stout upwards fastigiate rhizomes, each terminated 
with a tuft of leaves and covered with the residues of vaginee of former years’ growth. ' Stems very short, 
concealed within the tufts of leaves. Leaves rigidulous; the radical ones often curved, from §-l£ inches 
long, less than 1 line broad, one-nerved, gradually upwards pointed, conspicuously thickened as well as 
slightly scabrous and often scantily ciliolated at the margin, dilated at the base into a clasping membranous 
vagina. Stem-leaves few, opposite, very short, concrete into a vagina. Pedicels smooth, stiff, especially 
towards the summit furrowed, terminating the short stems, long persistent, comparatively stout. Sepals of 
firm consistence, greenish, mucronulate, 1-1^ line .long, slightly membranous at the margin. Stamens often 
only half as long as the sepals. Filaments linear-subulate. Anthers very minute. Styles 5, very short, 
longitudinally stigmatose. Capsule of firm consistence, 1-1 \ line long, ovate-globose, somewhat pentago- 
nous. Valves after dehiscence often at the apex involute. Funicles penicillar, arising from the bottom of 
the- capsule. Seeds many, brown, shining, almost egg-pearshaped, | line long, very minutely areolated, 
with a darker narrow line at the back. Embryo uncinate-hemicyclical. 
Colob an thus pulvinatus, F. M. in Transactions Philo soph. Society Victor . i. 101; Hooh. Kero 
Miscellany, viii. 7-8. 
Glabrous, stems moss-like, tufted; leaves crowded, rigid, squarrose, broadly triquetrous-subulate, 
channelled, short, pungent; vagince close; flowers pentamerous, on very short pedicels ; sepals from a broad 
base lanceolate-subulate, nearly twice as long as the stamens, hardly longer than the broad-eggshaped 
capsule; seeds numerous. 
On .the barest gravelly summits of the Munyang Mountains, buried the greater part of the year under 
snow, not occurring below an elevation of 6000 feet. Seemingly the same species found by Dr. Hooker in 
Campbeirs Island. 
Stems very numerous, depressed and condensed into close mossy tufts, which sometimes extend over a 
considerable space of ground. Root ramified, descending. Leaves 2—4 lines long, smooth, sometimes less 
channelled, sometimes more trigonous, mucronate, dilated at the base into a membranous vagina, thickened 
at the margin. Sepals almost parchment-like, 1—1| line long, mucronulate, with a somewhat prominent 
dorsal nerve. Filaments linear-subulate, connate into a very short perigynous disk. Anthers cordate, 
yellow, line long, bursting with introrse longitudinal dehiscence. Pollen-grains smooth, spherical. 
Styles extremely short, longitudinally stigmatose. Capsule about 1 line long, blunt at the base, cleft to 
about the middle into five valves. Funicles capillary, arising brush-like from the bottom of the capsule, 
partially much longer than the seed. Seeds brown, shining*, about $ line long*, pyriform-ovate, slightly rough 
at the back. Albumen lateral-central. Cotyledons nearly half as long as the radicle. 
This plant is perhaps not other-wise distinguishable from Colobanthus Benthami (Fenzl, in Endl. Atakta, 
t. 49; C. subulatus, J. Hook. FI. Antarctic, ii. 247, t. 93), a Fuegian and Falkland Islands plant, than m its 
quinary floral parts. # - 
Notwithstanding the great discrepancy in habit, we must regard C. pulvinatus as very closely allied to 
C. Billardierii, the flow'ers and fruits of both species exhibiting hardly any discrepancies. 
Plate XI. 1, flower with its bracteal leaves; 2, flower viewed from above; 3, capsule ; 4, vertical 
section of a capsule; 5, transverse section of a capsule; 6, valves; 7, stamens, showing then relative posi 
tion; 8, front view of a stamen; 9, back view of a stamen; 10, pollen-grains, 11, seed with me e; , 
longitudinal section of a seed; 13, transverse section of a seed; 14, leaves seen in tlieii decussate position; 
15, a separate leaf; 16, a branch; 17, a solitary stem, separated from the tuft: all figures variously mag¬ 
nified. 
