Fabaceæ or Leguminosæ.
The abundance of this order in all the colonized parts of New Holland is well known, as is the importance of its Wattles, or Acacias, to the settlers. Swan River is not deficient in its proportion of such plants, the great part of the species, and some of the genera, being peculiar to it.
One of the most curious characters of a secondary value, connected with Australian Fabaceæ, is the general presence of yellow in their flowers, and he very frequent stain of red or crimson found upon the keel and alæ, while the vexillum remains yellow; in these respects the Swan River Flora accords with that of other parts of the continent. There are however some cases of a peculiar deep blue in the whole of the flower, as in Hovea pungens, now not uncommon in our Gardens, H. chorozemæfolia and ilicifolia, and the still more beautiful Mirbelia floribunda,39 which must form when in flower one shoot of azure; Mirbelia dilatata, R. Br., with bright purple flowers, seems to be abundant. The common genera, of which characteristic species exist here, are chiefly Acacia, Pultenæa, Oxylobium, Chorozema, Daviesia, Jacksonia, Burtonia, Gompholobium, Aotus, Zichya, Physolobium, Kennedya, and Hardenbergia; Frazer also speaks of a pendulous species of Viminaria, of considerable height, richly clothed with yellow and crimson flowers, by which it is probably that he intended to mention one of the species of Sphærolobium, which appear to be common here. Oxylobium seems one of the richest in species, and is particularly deserving notice on account of the singular wedge-shaped form of the leaves of O. dilatatum40 and others. The Jacksonias are in most
(39) Mirbelia (Diplolobium) floribunda; ramis pubescentibus, foliis sparsis linearibus brevibus obtusis apice uncinato-recurvis margine revolutis glabris, floribus ad apices ramulorum axillaribus subsessilibus, calycibus sericeo-villosis, ovario pluri-ovulato. (Benth. mss.)
(40) Oxylobium parviflorum; foliis oblongo-linearibus cuneatisve retusis emarginatisve muticis, racemis axillaribus terminalibusque elongatis laxis, calycibus subsericeis, ovario 4-ovulato. (Benth. mss.)
(41) Oxylobium cuneatum; foliis cuneato-oblongis obtusis retusisve mucronulatis crassis coriaceis, racemis axillaribus dense capitatis multifloris, calycibus sericeo-villosis subferrugineis, ovario 4-ovulato. (Benth. mss.)
(42) Oxylobium obovatum; foliis late obovato-cuneatis obtusis truncatis retusisve mucronulatis crassis coriaceis, racemis axillaribus dense capitatis multifloris, calycibus sericeo-villosis subferrugineis, ovario 4-ovulato. (Benth. mss.)
(43) Oxylobium dilatatum; foliis basi angustatis apice dilatato-subbilobis mu-
