C. H. Ostenfeld: Contributions to West Australian Botany. II. 9 



reaches it. The mangrove formation of W. A. is consequently 

 rather poor; it does not make such a luxuriant impression as do 

 the Malayan and the West-Indian mangroves. Still, this ever- 

 green fringe bordering the coast and estuaries refreshes the eye 

 in these regions, where the other vegetation is far more reduced 

 owing to the dry and, hot climate. 



When lying at anchor off Onslow, I saw a low mangrove 

 at the outlet of Ashburton River, and at Broome I observed 

 a large mangrove. They seemed to be of the same type as the 

 mangroves described above, and I think the mangroves along the 

 whole coast of the tropical W. A. are much like each other. 



2. The Sandy Sea-shore Formation. 



Where the coast is sandy — and this is the case over large 

 distances — a scanty vegetation of halophilous annual herbs 

 occurs. I had not much opportunity to observe this formation, 

 which passes over into the dune-formation or in places into the 

 salt-pan formation. At Port Hed land I saw it at the coast 

 near the township, where it covered the ground just above high- 

 water mark. It was dominated by large specimens of Salsola 

 kali, and amongst them some plants of Ptilotus villosiflorus and 

 Trianthema crystallinunt 1 . 



The poor plantgrowth along the jetty of Derby should per- 

 haps be referred to this formation. The species observed there 

 were: Cressa cretica, Evolvulus alsinoides (var. sericeus), Neptunta 

 monosperma, Trianthema crystallinum and Boerhaavia diffusa. 



3. The Salt-Pan Formation. 



In depressions and low-lying sandy flats near the coast an 

 open vegetation of halophilous succulent perennial herbs is to be 

 found. Thfs was well developed in depressions at Port Hedland 

 between the town itself and its harbour (Plate II, Fig. 1). The 

 dominating plants were cushion-forming Chenopodiaceæ: Arthro- 

 cnemum leiostachyum, A. Benthami, A. arbuscula and Atriplex exili- 

 folia. The two first named formed coarse, flat cushions, while 

 A. arbuscula was more slender, and its cushions more dome-like; 

 Atriplex again, was a semi-globose low undershrub. Together with 

 them grew Heliotropium curassavicum in half-buried large specimens, 

 Trianthema turgidifolium with its nearly globose leaves and white 

 flowers, Frankenia ambita, and a few plants of Eragrostis Dielsii. 



1 At Carnarvon, south of the Capricorn, Salsola Kali and Ptilotus (villo- 

 siflorus?) also occurred at the sandy sea-shore. 



