Page:A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland.djvu/44

 species flowered the preceding year at Sion House. It is a native of the coast of New South Wales, among rocks, as we believe are all the species of Pimelea. The genus was first published by Forster in his Nova Plantarum Genera, and there called Banksia; but every species of which it is composed having been referred by the younger Linnæus to Passerina, and he having in the same work named another tribe of plants after Sir Joseph Banks, Gærtner, in restoring the original genus of Forster, adopted the name of Pimelea from the manuscripts of Dr. Solander. It is derived from πιμελη, fat, but is rather a pleasantly sounding, than an apt denomination, unless there may be anything oily in the recent fruit. In natural affinity Pimelea nearly approaches Passerina and Daphne, but their number of stamina being so very different, surely justifies us in keeping it separate from them. In this natural order we are not yet indeed quite clear upon what principles genera ought to be discriminated, and therefore dare not undertake to remove the great uncertainty in which all authors have left them.

Pimelea linifolia has a small zigzag root, from which arises a straight round smooth upright stem, branched irregularly for the most part, though sometimes appearing dichotomous, in consequence of the young branches springing in pairs from the upper part of the old flowering ones. The bark is reddish, cracking longitudinally; its inner layer remarkably silky, which is