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Flora of Australia. 133

part," to Mueller's reticulata, and that Bauer's figure was named,
"doubtless on Brown's authority," L. straminea. Vague assumptions
of this kind afford no grounds for troublesome changes of
long-standing names. Indeed, a work of this characher tends to
bring systematic botany into bad odour with workers in other
branches, who suffer from such changes, and if there is any difficulty
in regard to the specimens at the National Museum, London,
surely the proper course is to add explanatory labels to
them, as in the above heading. Archæology and botany are separate
subjects, and should be kept apart.

Article 50 of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature,
1905, says:—"No on is authorised to reject, change or
modify a name (or combination of names) because of the existence
of an earlier homonym which is universally regarded as nonvalid,
or for any other motive either contestable or of little
import." Hence the names should remain as before, L. Brownii
Britten being a synonym for L. straminea (R.Br.), Bentham and
Mueller.

MEDICAGO HISPIDA, Gaertn., var. INERMIS, Urb. (Papilionaceae).
(Syn. MEDICAGO RETICULATA, Benth.). Determined at
Kew Herbarium, England.

Dimboola Shire, F. M. Reader, October 16th, 1898. Geelong
and Penshurst (1906), H.B. Williamson.

This Medick was recorded by Mr. Reader in the Victorian
Naturalist, vol. 19 (1903), p. 159, as Medicago turbinata, Willd.,
but M. turbinata is quite a distinct plant from Reader's specimens.
It was also known here under the names of M. striata
and M. nummularia (M. cretica), but differs from both of these.
As no specimens of the above variety were in the National Herbarium,
the plants were sent to the Kew herbarium for verification
and determined as above. It is a naturalized alien form
Southern Europe.

OLEARIA HOMOLEPIS, F. v. M., var. PILOSA, new var.
(Compositae).

Cowcowing, West Australia. Max Koch, No. 1087 (1904).
The variety differs from the type in having slightly longer