40 Topp. Wild'Hnwers f^f SmithWeslern Aiish-aUa. [v„T!''xxxm. 



and low shrubs is the frequency of tree Banksias of various 

 species, of Paper-barks and other Melaleucas, of the Xylo- 

 melum (locally called " Prickly Pear "). and of the Agonis 

 (locally called the " Peppermint "). Eucalypts near the coast 

 were comparatively rare, and I saw no Acacias except one 

 small spiny shrub, A. pulchella, very much flattered by its 

 specific name and by Bentham's clescription — " an elegant 

 shrub." I suppose it is variable in height and habit. The 

 Paper-bark Tree. Melaleuca leucodendron, is much stouter and 

 taller than our swamp tea-trees, and grows in grass country, 

 though possibly its roots may be in underground water. It 

 is often 40 or 50 feet liigh, with a stem one or two feet in 

 diameter, and with stout, more or less horizontal or pendent and 

 twisted branches, not unlike those of the common oak, though 

 not so wide-spreading. Its outer bark consists of many layers 

 of fibrous, papery sheets. This tree is remarkable as having 

 the widest distribution of the Melaleucas, being found in New 

 South Wales, Queensland, North Australia, in the Indian 

 Archipelago, and the Malay Peninsula, and as being the only 

 Australian Melaleuca foimd outside our continent. The 

 Willow Myrtle, Agonis flexuosa, known as Peppermint, is ;i 

 particularly graceful tree, and is abundant round Bunbury. 

 It attains the height of 50 or 60 feet, and is endemic in south- 

 west Australia. Its liranches droop and carry willow-shaped 

 leaves, and bear on the outer side abundant clusters of small 

 white flowers. These give the trees the appearance of haN-ing 

 received a fall of snow. This tree bears flowers when cjnly 

 two or three feet bigh. For some reason Mueller considers it 

 one of the best of evergi^een trees for cemeteries. I am glad 

 to say that I could admire its graceful form without thinking 

 of graveyards and tiombstones. 



On the grass lands and among the scrub I saw many 

 Droseras and Candolleas (Stylidium), several species of Hibbertia. 

 Tetratheca, and Pimelea new to me. endemic in Western 

 Australia, and probably confined to the south-west of that 

 State. The most remarkable Drosera was D. gigantea. which 

 rises three or four feet above the ground, has a slender but 

 stiff woody stem, with numerous horizontal, slender branches 

 terminating in panicles of small white flowers. It takes one 

 by surprise to find that this erect, slender shrub is a Sundew, 

 (^ther Droseras had large crimson flowers. This genus is very 

 largely represented in Western Australia, about 45 species 

 (Maiden) being found there. The "Second Census" gives 28 as 

 endemic out of 43 then known in Australia. 



The " Prickly Pear," Xylomelum occidentalis, derives its 

 substantive name from the fruit, which somewhat resembles 

 an inverted pear, ana the adjectival qualification from the 



