to ½ in. long. Spikes ovoid-globular, the rhachis 1 to 1½ in. long. Bracts villous. Perianth-tube densely villous, about 4 lines long, the limb acute, glabrous. Ovary villous. Style nearly 1 in. long, remaining hooked, with a very small broad stigmatic end. Fruiting cone globular, about 2 in. diameter, the capsules usually very numerous and closely packed, very flat, projecting but slightly, the margin becoming glabrous, nearly 1 in. broad when perfect.—Meissn. in Pl. Preiss. ii. 264, and in DC. Prod. xiv. 452.
W. Australia. Lucky Bay, R. Brown, and probably from the same neighbourhood, Baxter, Drummond, n. 24, and 2nd coll. n. 338.
2. B. Meissneri, Lehm.; Meissn. in Pl. Preiss. i. 582, and in DC. Prod. xiv. 452. A spreading shrub of 2 or 3 ft., or sometimes low and straggling, the branches slightly hoary. Leaves linear, rather crowded, very spreading or reflexed, obtuse or scarcely acute, with revolute margins, singly grooved or channelled underneath, not above ¼ in. long and thicker than in B. pulchella. Spikes ovoid and flowers smaller than in that species. Perianth-tube loosely villous, scarcely 3 lines long, the glabrous limb very small. Ovary glabrous? Style about ¾ in. long, remaining hooked with the small depressed stigmatic end of B. pulchella. Fruiting cone not seen.
W. Australia. Between Swan river and King George's Sound, Drummond, n. 109, 2nd coll. n. 282, Preiss n. 488, Harvey; near Arthur, Oldfield; Beaufort and Gordon plains, Maxwell; and with more erect leaves, Phillips river to Esperance Bay, Maxwell. F. Mueller thinks that this is a variety only of B. pulchella, with small thick spreading leaves. The ovary appeared to me to be glabrous, but that character may require further confirmation. Both species differ from all other Banksia in their small perianth, very short in proportion to the style.
3. B. nutans, R. Br. in Trans. Linn. Soc. x. 203, Prod. 391. A shrub, glabrous or nearly so except the inflorescence. Leaves crowded, very narrow-linear, almost terete, very shortly mucronate, the margins closely revolute and entire, singly grooved underneath, ½ to 1 in. long. Spikes globular or shortly oblong, erect or nodding, the rhachis from under 1 to near 2 in. long. Bracts with small glabrous tips. Perianth tube ¾ in. long, silky-villous as well as the limb. Ovary glabrous. Style remaining hooked, with a short thick stigmatic end not distinctly furrowed. Fruiting cone globular, 2 to 4 in. diameter; capsules very thick and scarcely protruding, the end in some specimens above 1 in. broad and nearly 1 in. thick, smooth and at first raised along the suture, at length depressed the thick almost turgid backs of the valves very rugose; in some specimens the capsules smaller and smoother, but perhaps not full-grown.—Meissn. in Pl. Preiss. i. 581, and in DC. Prod. xiv. 453 ; F. Muell. Fragm. iv. 108.
W. Australia. Lucky Bay, R. Brown; King George's Sound or adjoining districts, Baxter, Drummond, n 168, 3rd coll. n. 281, Oldfield, Maxwell. Meissner describes the capsules as somewhat tomentose all over and not turgid on the top; but he had probably either mismatched fruit or a distinct variety from any I have seen, for I have always found the capsules perfectly glabrous, and more deserving the character of turgid at the top than any other species.
