4. B. sphærocarpa, R. Br. in Trans. Linn. Soc. x. 208, Prod. 391. A shrub of 3 or 4 ft., minutely silvery or hoary-tomentose. Leaves linear, obtuse or scarcely mucronate, with closely revolute entire margins, under 1 in. long in the typical specimens, in others 2 to 3 in. long. Spikes globular or nearly so, 2 to 3 in. diameter. Perianth silky, varying from a little above 1 in. to fully 1½ in. long, the limb narrow, obtuse. Style longer than the perianth, hooked, with a small cylindrical stigmatic end. Fruiting cone globular, dense; capsules slightly prominent, glabrous, thick, with a prominent ridge at the suture, nearly 1 in. broad when perfect.—Meissn. in Pl. Preiss. i. 581, and in DC. Prod. xiv. 452; B. pinifolia, Meissn. in DC. Prod. xiv. 453.
W. Australia. King George's Sound, R. Brown, Baxter and others, and thence to Swan river, Drummond, n. 99, 100, 1st coll. n. 648, 649, 2nd coll. n. 336, Preiss, n. 486, 487, 494, 497, and others; Murchison river, Oldfield; between Moore and Murchison rivers, Drummond, 6th coll. n 199.
Some of the northern specimens which constitute the B. pinifolia, have larger flower-heads and flowers and longer leaves, and a fruit of Drummond's which, from his notes, may belong to this B. pinifolia is also much larger, with more prominent and thinner capsules. Other specimens from the same district have precisely the flowers of the common form. In some specimens the bracts have conical tomentose tips, in others they are quite flat. It is possible therefore that two species may be here confounded, but the specimens are insufficient for their distinction.
Var. glabrescens, Meissn. Flower-heads and flowers smaller, not so villous, the fulvous hairs of the bracts not so prominent.—W. Australia, Drummond 2nd coll. n. 337.
Var. latifolia, F. Muell. Leaves short, 1 to l¼ lines broad. Flowers large, silky-villous with long rather loose hairs.—Perongerup Range, Maxwell.
5. B. tricuspis, Meissn. in Hook. Kew Journ. vii. 118, and in DC. Prod. xiv. 453. Branches rather slender, glabrous or very slightly hoary. Leaves narrow-linear, truncate or almost notched, with a small callous point, the margins entire and closely revolute, 2 to 4 in. long. Spikes oblong-cylindrical, 5 to 6 in. long Bracts obtuse, fulvous-villous. Perianths silky-villous but all withered and revolute in our specimens. Style above 1½ in long, hooked, with a very small ovoid stigmatic end. Fruiting cone with very closely imbricate obtuse bracts, capsules very prominent, not thick, becoming glabrous, 9 to 10 lines broad.
W. Australia. Mount Lesueur and Gardner's Range, Drummond, 6th coll. n. 205.
6. B. occidentalis, R. Br. in Trans. Linn. Soc. x. 204, Prod. 392. An erect shrub of 4 or 5 ft., the branches glabrous or minutely hoary. Leaves linear, truncate notched or 3-toothed at the end, otherwise entire or with a few small teeth towards the end, the margins recurved only, showing the white under surface and prominent midrib, 2 to 4 in. long. Spikes from ovoid and 3 in. to cylindrical and twice as long. Bracts with small glabrous tips. Perianth silky-villous, about ¾ in. long, the limb narrow. Ovary villous; style about 1 in. long, hooked, the stigmatic end scarcely distinct. Fruiting cone tomentose with the closely packed bracts; capsules prominent, not very thick, rounded, tomentose-villous, becoming glabrous at the suture, about ¾ in. broad.
