OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 283 



No botanist or lover of plants travelling in Northern Queens- 

 land should lose an opportunity of examining the rocks in our 

 close damp gullies. For a finer sight than one of these covered 

 with Boea hygroscopica, F. v. Muell., in full flower, could scarcely 

 be imagined ; the rich deep blue flower which it bears in such 

 profusion contrasting so well with its soft green Grloxinia.-like 

 leaves. It has often been a wonder to me that this plant has 

 not been brought more prominently into cultivation. This may 

 be caused by the want of knowing the proper situation for it in 

 the plant house or garden. In its natural habitat it is found 

 growing on the face or in the crevices of the perpendicular rock, 

 in company with the plantain-like fern Antrophyum semicosta- 

 tum, Blume, and the creeping ivy-like fern Humata pedata, J. 

 Sm., with the beautiful feather-like Selaginella flabellata, Spreng. 

 As my object in this paper is only to draw some little attention to 

 the more curious or beautiful phenomena of our vegetation, and 

 thus point out what a traveller through Northern Queensland 

 should see, I only notice such trees or shrubs as produce fine, 

 showy, conspicuous foliage, or are otherwise interesting and but 

 little known in cultivation. Such a tree is Hedera australiana, 

 F. v. Muell., which often flowers as a shrub. It has a terminal 

 panicle of 3 or 4 feet diameter composed of pretty white flowers. 

 The leaves are very long, and well supplied with large somewhat 

 oblong pinnse ; and although of the same genus as the Ivy of 

 Europe, to the unbotanical observer seems quite as distinct from 

 it, as the Exocarpus from the European Cherry. In this order 

 Araliacece is another conspicuous, tall, upright shrub of great 

 beauty, Astrotriche pterocarpa, Benth. Its leaves are of a dark 

 glossy green on the upper side, and white with a close tomentum 

 on the under side. The unusual form (cordate-lanceolate), and 

 length 10 inches, are sure to attract attention. It bears a large 

 terminal panicle of dark purple flowers, seemingly speckled, on 

 account of the numerous light yellow anthers. The two northern 

 species of Harpullia have handsome foliage, H. alata has the 

 rachis of its large leaf winged, and the pinnae of H. Wadwor- 

 thvi, F. v. M., are abruptly truncate, giving a most curious 



