1921] WILSON, NOTES FROM AUSTRALASIA. No. I IGl 



crammed with an astonishing variety of plants bearing a wealth of curious 

 flowers of intense and vivid colours. Herbs are comparatively few in 

 number though large areas are covered with the Swan River Daisy (Brachy- 

 come iberidifolia Benth.), Pink and Yellow Everlastings, {Hcliptcruvi 

 roseum Benth. and Waitzia aurea Steetz), blue Dampicras, Stylidiums wath 

 flowers of every hue and tall growing Droseras of gigantic size when com- 

 pared with their lowly relatives of the northern Hemisphere, whilst the 

 curious Kangaroo-paws (Anigozanthus spj).) wnth orange, yellow, green 

 and black flowers constantly call forth admiration. The shrubs and 

 sub-shrubs when not in flower bear a strong resemblance to one another 

 for most of them have narrow or spiny leaves, yet in blossom scarcely two 

 companion bushes arc alike. There arc Grevillcas, Hakcas, Isopogons 

 and others belonging to the family of Proteaceac, Callistemons, Beau- 

 fort ias, Melaleucas, Boronias, all with gorgeous flowers. Acacias in great 

 variety and innumerable others, but I must not omit Lcschenaultia with 

 flowers as blue as the heavens above. All the large trees arc species of 

 Eucalyptus and the smaller trees except a few peculiar to the coastal 

 regions belong to the genera Casuarina, Agonis, Melaleuca, Banksia, 

 Dryandra, Ilakca, Callitris, Fusanus and Santalum — the last two are 

 parasitic. Of climbing plants there are only three or four — Clematis, 

 Kenncdya and Hardenbergia being the chief — and all are slender vines. 

 Most of the forests are open and park-like and except in the Karri forests 

 of the southwest there is no thick or tall undergrowth, indeed, savannah- 

 woodland well describes a large area of the forested land. 



I did not visit the region north of Perth which is said to be unforcstcd 

 until the almost inaccessible northwest is reached, so what is here written 

 has reference only to the country east and south of Fremantle. Proceed- 

 ing from that seaport inland first comes a coastal area of sand-plain and 

 low limestone hills on which and nestling on the banks of the Swan Hiver 

 Perth, the capital city, is situated. This coastal area abuts on the Darl- 

 ing fault, a low, well-defined range stretching from a point some 50 miles 

 north of Perth some 200 miles southward and nowhere more than 800 

 ft. high. This range is of granite and gneiss and for the most part 

 capped with ironstone laterite on which the Jarrah {Eiicahjpfus margin- 

 ala Smith) luxuriates. The eastern flank of the Darling fault merges into 

 an undulating plateau, granitic in character intercepted by belts of sili- 

 ceous sands, w^hich reaches its greatest elevation (1240 ft.) on the gold- 

 fields of Kalgoorlie, some 375 miles east from Perth. East from Kal- 

 goorlie for 167 miles this granitic plateau descends until it dl[)s below a 

 limestone plain, well-named the Nullarbor Plain, which stretches cast- 

 ward for 450 miles and though more or less well-clothed with shru])s 

 (chiefly Acacias and Saltbush) is absolutely devoid of trees. In the south- 

 west corner of Western Australia the country is broken in character, 

 with more streams and a heavier rainfall, and there grow the tallest and 

 finest trees. From the coast to the western edge of the Nullar])or Plain 

 trees are plentiful and form forests even where the rainfall does not aver- 



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