138 BOTANY OF SOUTH-WESTERN NEW SOUTH WALES, 



into preserves. Sapindacece include some interesting trees and 

 shrubs. The genus Dodomea has eight species which have 

 polygamous or unisexual, often dioecious flowers and capsules, 

 mostly furnished with dorsal wings. The ripe fruits are red, 

 brown or green, and are called " hops " by the settlers in the 

 interior. A shrub in fruit is an ornamental object. Many of 

 the species are fairly common on sand-hills and on country of a 

 light loamy nature. 



Leguminosce are numerous as regards species and fairly well 

 distributed over this region; they include trees, shrubs, herbaceous 

 and annual plants, many of which are of a highly ornamental 

 character. Some, when in bloom, are amongst the most charming 

 plants of the interior. Man}'^ of the arboreal species furnish 

 timber for industrial purposes, and the leaves of certain of them 

 provide feed for stock during adverse seasons. Acacia is more 

 largely represented by species than any other genus of this Order. 

 No less tha,n forty-two distinct species, besides varieties, are found 

 in varying proportions over this area. Some of the shrubby 

 kinds grow ver}^ densely and often form great thickets, which are 

 difficult to penetrate either on foot or on horseback. The genera 

 that rank next to Acacia in regard to the number of species are 

 Swaiiisona, Cassia, and Pultencea. The first has eleven, the 

 second nine, and the third eight species. The suspected poison 

 plants of this order belong to the following genera : — Isotropis, 

 Goodia, Crotalaria, Lotus, Indigo/era, and Svxiinsona. Many 

 exotic Leguminous plants have become established, and now are 

 apparently wild in different districts. Those species of Medicago 

 which ha\e prickly legumes are often troublesome to the sheep- 

 owner, as the fruits get matted in the wool and, to a certain 

 extent, cause a depreciation in the value of that staple product. 

 Although many species of the Order Haloragece are of little 

 interest to any but the botanist, there are a few exceptions. On 

 some of the sandy and gravelly places two species of Loudonia, 

 with golden-yellow flowers, arranged in terminal corymbose 

 panicles, often arrest attention, and species of MyriojohyUum and 

 Ceratophyllum well repay examination and study. These two 



