Curtis's Botanical Magazine/Volume 70/4102
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Dryandra formosa. Splendid Dryandra.
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Class and Order.
Tetandria Monogynia.
(Nat. Ord. - Proteaceæ)
Generic Character.
Perianthium 4-partitum v. quadrifidum. Staminaapici-
bus concavis laciniarum immersa. Squamulæ hypogonæ 4.
Ovarium biloculare, loculis monospermis. Folliculis lig-
neus: Dissepimento libero bifido. Receptaculum com-
mune planum, floribus indeterminatim confertis; paleis
confertis, raro nullis. Involucrum commune imbricatum.–
Frutices plerumque humiles. Rami dum adsint sparsi
vel umbellati. Folia sparsa, pinnatifida v. incisa, plantæ
juvenilis conformia. Involucra solitaria, terminalia, raro late-
ralia, sessilia, foliis confertis, interioris quandoque nanis
obvallata, hemisphærica, bracteis adpressis, in quibusdam
apice appendiculatis. Stylus sæpe perianthio vix longior. Br.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
Dryandra formosa; foliis elongato-linearibus pinnatifidis.
lobis scaleno-triangularibus muticus planis subtus ni-
veis, involucris tomentosis, bractris interioribus line-
ari-oblongis, receptaculo paleaceo. Br.
Dryandra formosa. Br. in Linn. trans. v. 10. p. 213. t.
3. Prodr. Nov. Holl. p. 397.
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Mr. Brown detected this noble and handsome species of
Dryandra in Lewin's Land, on the South shores of Austra-
lia, growing in sterile places, and deemed it worthy of a
figure from the pencil of Mr. Bauer, which was published
in the Linnæan Transactions above quoted. The plant
from which our figure was taken is a tree about fourteen
feet high, raised from seeds sent home by Mr. Baxter from
South-west
VOL. XVII. L
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South-west Australia, and which, during the spring and
summer months, is richly studded by the orange-yellow
flowers, arising from the copious, short branches, and back-
ed by the dark-green foliage, which spreads in a stellated
manner all around them. This is one of the many noble
Proteaceæ which forms so striking a feature in the Royal
Botanic Gardens of Kew, and to which those recently sent
over by Mr. Drummond from the Swan River constitute so
valuable an addition.
Descr. A tree, with a crooked trunk, and clothed with
spreading, much divided branches almost to the base.
Leaves copious on the short branchlets, spreading, four to
six inches long, harsh, rigid, subcoriaceous, linear-elon-
gate, pinnatifid for two-thirds of the way to the costa, the
segments acute, triangular, but unequally so, the upper
side being generally nearly at right angles with the costa,
dark-green above, almost glossy, white with short down
beneath. Heads of flowers nestled among the leaves at the
apex of the short branches, sessile, rather large, globose, of
a yellow-orange colour, but not very bright. Involucre of
many oblong, recurved scales. Receptacle with copious,
linear scales and hairs. Perianth villous, especially below,
cut almost to the base into four extremely narrow, linear
segments, spathulate at the apex and concave, in which the
linear anther is lodged on a very short filament. Style
longer than the perianth. Stigma clubbed, slightly hairy.
Fig. 1. Single Flower:–magnified.