BY THE RET. J. E. TEXISOX-WOODS, F.L.S., F.G.S. 575 



edge of the salt-lake region north of Adelaide, and all explorers 

 and collectors have recorded it from central Australia, Porrest 

 in his last exploration traced it to the desert regions of North- 

 west Australia not far from Nichol Bay. Thus we see it is a 

 desert tree found all through the arid regions of tropical and 

 sub-tropical Australia. It well deserves its mime of EremopliiJa 

 (lover of the desert) as it is found in no other regions. In many 

 places it goes by the name of Dogwood. It has small dark grev- 

 green linear leaves, and has a bushy appearance by no means 

 inelegant. There are two other species generally associated with 

 it, but not so common. One is a bush with ver^^ large brownish- 

 red campanulate flowers. This is E. longlfolia. The other is a 

 small tree with larger leaves. 



Occasionally through all the Briiralow one meets with trees of 

 Alpliitonia excelsa a member of an order {Jlliamnacece) not at all 

 well represented in this part of Australia. It may be easily 

 known at a distance by its dappled aspect, for the oval leaves 

 are a bright shining green on one side and white underneath, 

 and thus it alwaj^s has a speckled appearance. Like the sandal 

 wood it is very wide spread, and is as common in the dense 

 tropical jungle as in the desert. This feature is quite exceptional, 

 for there is little else common to the two floras. 



In all the Brigalow scrubs in the neighbourhood of the Dawson, 

 Nogoa, Comet and Belyando Eivers one meets with occasional 

 patches of the Bottle Tree, or StercuUa rtq)fisfrisa,nd. S. tricliosi2)lion 

 The two species may be at once distinguished by their foliage. 

 In other respects they are very similar. The stem is somewhat 

 like an elongated soda-water bottle, and has a greeu, succulent, 

 faintly wrinkled or smooth bark. They always grow in patches, 

 not clusters, and generally in very thick scrub. It is said that the 

 soft juicy tissue of the stem can be eaten and that manv a 

 wanderer in the bush has staved off hunger by its meaus. The 

 young shoots and roots of young trees are agreeable and refreshing. 

 The nuts are also eaten. 



