Em * 
1 
TO PORT ESSINGTON. 355 
fifty feet, formed large groves on Cycas Creek and the 
Robinson ; but disappeared on leaving the river, and was not 
observed again until they arrived at Port Essington, where 
two or three small trees were seen growing near Victoria. 
The Corypha, which we had observed on Palm-tree Creek, 
and under Expedition Range, was found again on the 
Mitchell at Beames's Brook, and on the South Alligator 
River. Very stunted specimens of Seaforthia elegans, R. Br. 
grew on Arnheim Land, but noble trees of it were on the 
Patches of brush along the Alligator Rivers, and formed 
groves and even a whole tract of forest between Raffles Bay 
and Port Essington. | 
lt is generally believed that Australia is poor in edible 
fruits and vegetables. There is no doubt that very few are 
good, but it will be seen by Dr. Leichardt's remarks that the 
number of the edible productions of the vegetable kingdom 
Was by no means small. They boiled the young shoots of 
Some species of Mesembryanthemum, Chenopodium, Portulacca, 
wd Sonchus as vegetables. The Seaforthia, Corypha and 
Livistona palms, yielded young edible shoots; but the two 
“er were either bitter or gave only a small supply, whilst 
the Seaforthia shoots (myroin of the natives of Port Essing- - 
= afforded most excellent eating. Salicornia sp. a small 
plant with articulate fleshy stem, which grows always on soil - 
"pregnated with salt, tasted well when boiled with meat, — 
_ Particularly when they were without salt. "The young leaves 
a Typha and the lower part of the leaf-stalks of the 
Nelumbium were good to eat, and the stem of a species of 
UU was edible, but very glutinous and insipid. A 
"ature, “At the head of the Lynd, two kind of tu 
