Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
In the Herbarium formed during the late voyages, are specimens of
thirteen species of intertropical Grevillea, in various stages of
perfection; of these seven are described from specimens formerly gathered
upon the East Coast, and in the Gulf of Carpentaria; the remaining six
are, however, perfectly new, and will chiefly augment the last section of
that genus, having hard (in some instances spherical) woody follicles,
containing seeds orbicularly surrounded by a membranous wing, more or
less dilated, and a deciduous style; characters that future botanists may
deem sufficient to justify its separation from Grevillea. The range of
this division, which has been named by Mr. Brown, Cycloptera, has been
hitherto limited to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the tropical shores of
the East Coast. Of the genus Hakea, hitherto almost wholly excluded from
the tropical parts of Australia, besides H. arborescens, the only species
formerly observed within that circle, the Herbarium furnishes at least
two plants, that have been recently discovered in about 22 degrees south
latitude, the one being H. oleifolia of King George's Sound, whilst the
other proves an entirely new species, belonging to the first section of
the genus, having long filiform leaves, and ecalcarated capsules.
Upon the East Coast in latitude 14 degrees two shrubs were observed
having all the habits of Hakea, of the South-west Coast, but being
without fructification, their identity could not be satisfactorily
determined.
Viewing the general distribution of Banksiae, it is a singular fact in
the geographical history of this genus, that its species, which have been
traced through almost every meridian of the South Coast, upon the islands
in Bass Strait, in Van Diemen's Land, and widely scattered throughout the
whole extent of New South Wales to the North Coast, at which extreme of
the continent, B. dentata has been observed as far west as longitude 130
degrees East, should be wholly wanting on the line of North-west Coast.
Why the links of this almost perfect chain should have been broken on the
seashores appears unaccountable, since they are, by reason of their
general sterility and exposure, extremely favourable to the growth of the
greater portion of the order. Our limited knowledge of the West Coast
(properly so called) does not afford us materials to hazard even a
partial conclusion, relative to the existence of this family on its
shores, excepting from the total absence of any one plant of Proteaceae
at those parts of Rottnest and Dirk Hartog's Islands visited during the
Bathurst's voyage; an inference may be drawn of the general paucity of
any part of the order on the shores of the neighbouring main. Although no
species have been found common to shores opposite to each other, in the
higher latitudes, the identity of Grevillea mimosoides, Persoonia
falcata, and Hakea arborescens, has been established upon the East Coast,
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