■^p"''] AuDAS, Nature in the Serra Range. 171 



NATURE IN THE SERRA RANGE. 



By J. W. AuDAS, F.L.S., F.R.M.S., Assistant, National 

 Herbarium, Melbourne. 



(Read before the Field Nattiralists' Club of Victoria, iSth Jan., 191 9.) 



It was with pleasant recollections of two previous botanizing 

 trips in the Victorian Grampians (Vid. Nat., February, 1913, vol. 

 xxix., p. 146, and June, 1914, vol. xxxi., p. 24) that I found 

 myself able in November last to take advantage of a few days' 

 leisure and renew my acquaintance with what has been aptly 

 named " the wild-flower garden of Victoria." Many parts of 

 the Grampians are still unknown to the ordinary tourist, owing 

 to the inaccessible nature of the country and the absence of 

 habitations ; but, by making arrangements for camping out, 

 I was able to botanically examine a large area of the Serra 

 Range, with, I think, interesting results. 



Leaving Melbourne by the Adelaide express on Friday, 

 ist November, I stayed overnight at Stawell, and, making an 

 early start on Saturday morning, reached, about noon, the 

 residence at Hall's Gap of my host, Mr. C. W. D'Alton, who 

 is well known in the district, and who takes a keen interest in 

 all botanical matters, more especially the wild-flowers of the 

 Grampians. 



Bent on an orchid excursion, we took, after luncheon, an 

 outing in the vicinity of what is known as the " Wild-Flower 

 Garden." Passing through some country which had been 

 recently burnt by a bush fire, some hundreds of tall, erect 

 spikes of Xanthorrhcea australis, or Southern Grass-tree, were 

 observed in full bloom. Here we came upon some nice 

 patches of Caladenia congesta, the first being a clump of bright 

 bronze colour, the second consisting of fine spikes of ordinary 

 colouring, some of which had the unusual number of six 

 flower-heads. Hereabouts also flourished abundantly C. 

 Menziesii, C. carnea, Thelymitra longifolia, T. antennifera, T. 

 flexnosa, and Diuris longifolia. After crossing a creek we 

 found Prasophyllum brevilabre, Thelymitra pauciflora, T. ixioides. 

 Microtis porrifolia, and Pterostylis nutans. Advancing into 

 scrubby country, the shrubs attracted our attention for a 

 while. Fine specimens of Dillwynia hispida, a very showy 

 and beautiful shrub, also D. floribunda and D. ericifolia, were 

 met with. Noticeable also were some nice bushes of Grevillea 

 parviflora, G. oleoides, Boronia pinnata, Conospermmn Mitchelli, 

 Astrotricha ledifolia, Bossicea cinerea, var. rosmarinifolia, 

 PultencBa jiiniperina, and Kunzea parvifolia just bursting into 

 bloom. Turning westward in the direction of home, we came 

 upon some fine specimens of Thelymitra epipactoides about 

 two to three feet in height, bearing large spikes of beautiful 



