334 OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



cultivated, and less frequently others are seen, e. g., Stenocarpus, 

 Macadamia. 



Few Australian trees are more characteristic than some species 

 of Banksia, whose stiff serrate leaves, and big oblong heads of 

 flowers are very striking. Except for a few trees of the northern 

 rain-forests, most of the Proteaceae are xerophytic in habit. 



Other characteristic Australian families with few or no repre- 

 sentatives elsewhere are the Tremandraceae, Goodeniaceae, 

 ( andolleaceae and Casuarinaceae. 



The gymnosperms of Australia, apart from the cycads, Kauri, 

 and Araucarias, are mostly of the yew family, the most important 

 being species of Podocarpus. Most nearly related to the northern 

 conifers are several species of Callitris, much resembling cypresses. 



Tasmania has a number of peculiar Taxaceae, absent from the 

 mainland, but also found in New Zealand. The most important 

 of these are Dacrydium and Phyllocladus. 



Ferns and their relatives are scarce, or wanting in much of 

 Australia, owing to the prevalence of arid or semi-arid conditions. 

 Where there is sufficient moisture, however, as in the mountain 

 forests of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, they are 

 abundant and luxuriant, and form an important element of the 

 vegetation. 



Tree-ferns are abundant in these regions, especially species of 

 Alsophila and Dicksonia, and in the wetter districts, filmy- 

 ferns, and other epiphytic species abound. Among these the 

 extraordinary stag-horn ferns (Platycerium), are common and 

 conspicuous. 



Club-mosses (Lycopodineae) and the curious Psilotum and 

 Tmesipteris, are sometimes seen, and many interesting liverworts 

 and mosses may be found by the student of these plants. 



Tasmania, unlike most of the Australian mainland, is extremely 

 mountainous, and in the west especially, has a heavy rainfall. 

 Both in topography and climate it has much in common with New 

 Zealand, and like the latter there is an important element in the 

 flora closely related to that of Patagonia and the Chilean Andes. 

 Some of these " Fuegian " plants occur also in southern Victoria and 

 the higher mountains of New South Wales and Queensland. The 

 most important of the Fuegian types are the antarctic beeches (No- 

 thofagus), the sole representatives of the oak family in Australia. 



