326 NOTES ON NATIVE FLORA OF NEW SOUTH WALES, VIL, 



Banksia viarginata (Honeysuckle) is fairly common on the 

 granite-formation between Nimitybelle and Kybean. B. integri- 

 folia was not seen on the granite, but is common on the con- 

 glomerate from 3600 to 4000 feet, though, owing to severity of 

 climate, it is remarkably dwarfed; and instead of trees 40 feet 

 hi"h, as seen along the coast, the average height of plants bearing 

 mature cones is from 2-5 feet. 



C asuarina stricta {C. quadrivalvis Labill.) may be seen beside 

 the road-cutting which passes down the Kydra Mountain to the 

 Um.aralla River. This somewhat drooping, large-coned Sheoak, 

 which occurs on many of the hill-tops in the western districts, at 

 least as far cut as Cobar, is not a lover of the cold portions of 

 the State, although growing in parts of Tasmania. It has pro- 

 bably reached the localit}^ under discussion by working its w ay 

 up along some of the sheltered ridges within the valley of the 

 Murrumbidgee, its occurrence some 20 miles south-west of Yass 

 having been recently noticed. It never grows on a river-fiat. 

 On Kydra Mountain it is found at an elevation of about 3000 

 feet above sea-level, an unusual altitude, but it is interesting to 

 observe tlie great discrimination it exercises in its selection of a 

 suitable aspect. On Monaro the extreme cold is on the southern 

 aspect, and although Gasuarina stricta was found growing freely 

 on the northern side of a steep hill, not a single tree of thi& 

 species was seen where the road winds round the southern face; 

 but on the ojposite side of the gorge, where another hill faces 

 north, the oak trees were again plentiful. Generally this species 

 avoids the shelter of larger trees, and selects fairly open hills, but 

 heie it was distributed through the forest of Eucalj'^pts after the 

 manner of Casuarina suhei'osa and C. toridosa, and was growing 

 on highly inclined Silurian slate-formation. 



In these Proceedings for 1905(p. 376) I referred to the probable 

 antiquit}'- of O. stricta, when accounting for its wide and varied 

 distribution; and the example now mentioned, showing its 

 remarkable potentialities for acclimatising itself in a cold region, 

 though usually favouring a warm one, is at least suggestive of a 

 long period being required for it to establish itself at this altitude, 



