Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 2.djvu/591

Natural Orders.] have been observed in Terra Australis, four of these belong to Hypoxis, which is chiefly an extratropical genus, the fifth is a Curculigo very like those of India.

PALMÆ. Only six species of this order have been observed in New Holland, and of two of these the fructification is at present unknown.

The New Holland Palms exist chiefly within the tropic, but one species is found in 34° S. lat.; it seems, however, that this is neatly the southern limit of the order in that country, no species having been seen on any part of the South coast.

In New Zealand a species of Areca was observed by Sir Joseph Banks, in about 38° S. lat, which is probably nearly the limit of Palms, in the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere their extent is not materially different from this: in North America, indeed, they do not appear to grow beyond 36° lat.; but in Europe Chamærops humilis extends as far as the neighbourhood of Nice.

It is remarkable that no species of Palm has been found in South Africa, nor was any observed by Mr. Lechenault, on the West coast of New Holland, even within the tropic.

JUNCEÆ. We are now in possession of so many links connecting together the Monocotyledonous orders with regular flowers, that in attempting to define several of them, we are obliged to have recourse to differences, many of which may appear, and some of which unquestionably are, of but secondary importance. Of this kind may be considered the characters by which I have endeavoured to distinguish Junceæ from Asphodeleæ, namely the difference in the texture of the perianthium, and in that of the testa of the seed, in the consistence of the albumen, and in the order of suppression of the stamina; these when reduced to three in number being always placed opposite to the three outer leaves of the perianthium: in