Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 2.djvu/621

Descriptions of Plants.] brevibus acutis mucronulo sphacelato; trinervia, nervis lateralibus margini approximatis simplicissimis et infra apicem folii desinentibus, nec in læinulas extimas productis; medio trifido, ramis lateralibus subalternis; utrinque pulchrè reticulata, areolis minutis subtus magis conspicuis; adulta glabrata, novella villosa. Petioli teretes, basi dilatata oblongo-lanceolata scariosa. Spicæ axillares solitariæ simplicissimæ erectæ 3–4-unciales folia vix æquantes, basifloræ, rachi tomentosa, floribus alternis sessilibus unibracteatis; bracteis cucullatis ovatis acutis persistentibus. Perianthium coloratum flavum deciduum: ungues inferne connati in tubum demum 4-partibilem: laminæ in limbum bilabiatum dispositæ, lanceolatæ; dorsali labium superius constituente latiore; anticarum media lateralibus angustiore. Stamina tubo inclusa, supra medium unguium inserta: Filamenta quatuor, brevia: superiore sterili apice cum stigmato connato; reliqua antherifera: Antheræ laterales dimidiatæ; inferior didyma, lobis cum iis lateralium longitudinaliter connexis, ita ut lobus singulus inferioris cum respondenti laterali loculum unicum tandem bivalvem constituit, nullo vestigio dissepimenti: Pollen triangulare. Squamæ hypogynæ nullæ. Ovarium turbinatum pubescens apiceque ornatum pilis brevibus crassis pellucidis strictis, monospermum: Stylus curvatus glaber sursum incrassatus deciduus: Stigma dilatatum obliquum, hine apice filamenti arctissime connatum, inde desinens in cornua duo parallela distantia subulata. Nux crustacea obovata striata pilosa, apiceque coronata pappo brevi e pilis strictis crassioribus formato.

Obs. In my general observations on Proteaceæ I have noticed two very remarkable characters of Synaphea, namely, the cohesion of the barren filament with the stigma, which is peculiar to this genus, and the structure and connection of the Antheræ, in which it agrees with Conospermum: it is also remarkable that these two nearly related genera should differ in the position of their barren and fertile stamina with relation to the perianthium; plants of the same natural family very generally agreeing in the order of abortion or suppression of these organs; to this however some other exceptions are known, and one has been already noticed as occuring in Drapetes.

The genus Synaphea seems to be confined to the south-west coast of New Holland, for it is more likely that Polypodium spinulosum of Burmannus (flor. ind. 233. t. 67 f. 1.) which I have formerly referred to this genus, as well as Adiantum truncatum of the same author, long since determined to be a species of Acacia, by Mr. Dryander, were brought from that coast to Batavia by one of the Dutch navigators, perhaps by Vlaming, than that they are really natives of Java, from which Burmannus received them.