10 Oct., 1918.] Indigenous Fibrous Plants of Victoria. 605 



and although a smaller plant than the true flax, nevertheless it yields a 

 fibre of splendid quality. It wasi used by the natives for making fishing 

 nets and cordage. 



Livistona australis, Mart., "Cabbage Tkee Palm^'; order, Pahnse; 

 distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The Cab- 

 bage Tree Palm is found in the eastern extremity of Gippsland. The 

 foliage is used for baskets and hats, the latter very much resembling the 

 celebrated panama. 



Urtica incisa, Poir, "Scrub Nettle"; order, Urticacese; distribu- 

 tion, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and 

 Queensland. The Scrub Nettle delights to hide itself in the moist and 

 densely shaded fern gullies and ravines in the sub-alpine localities of 

 Victoria and Tasmania. Its stems and leaves yield useful paper-making 

 material. 



Amperea spartioides, Brongn., ''Broom Spurge"; order, Euphor- 

 biaoese; distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, 

 Tasmania, and Queensland. The Broom Spurge isi of a dwarf shrubby 

 habit, and grows abundantly in the eastern portion of Victoria. It 

 yields a useful fibre material. 



Scirpus maritimus, "Salt-marsh Ctus Rush "j order, Cyperacese; 

 distribution, Victoria, Kew South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, 

 Queensland, Northern Australia, Western Australia, Europe, Asia, 

 Africa, America, and New Zealand. The Salt-marsh Club Kush is a 

 plant almost cosmopolitan, occurring frequently in more or less brackish 

 waters, and yielding a fibre which would produce paper sufficiently firm 

 to stand the impressions of type. 



Scirpus lacustris, L., "Lake Club Rush"; order, Cyperacese; dis- 

 tribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, 

 Queensland, Western Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and New 

 Zealand. The Lake Club Rush grows in moist parts nearly all over 

 the world. Being of gregarious habit the plant is readily collected. 

 The paper produced from it is remarkably good, and adaptable for either 

 printing or tissue paper, as well as for writing paper. It is also used 

 for making seats of chairs, and by coopers for caulking casks. 



Scirjn/s nodosus, Rottb., "Knotted Club Rush"; order, Cyper- 

 acese ; distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tas- 

 mania, Queensland, Western Australia, Africa, America, India, and 

 New Zealand. The Knotted Rush, a tufted perennial plant with creep- 

 ing rhizomes, is plentiful along the coast of Victoria, where :t tends to 

 bind drifting sand. It forms a good paper plant, but as a fibre plant 

 for other purposes it is of little use. 



Ci/perus vaginatus, R. Br., "Sheath Leaf Rush" ; order, Cyperacese; 

 distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, 

 Western Australia, and Northern Australia. The Sheath Leaf Rush is 

 one of the most widely and most copiously distributed of the rush plants 

 of Australia. It has a tough fibre, and consequently can be manufac- 

 tured into very tenacious paper. The raw material is available in con- 

 siderable quantities on periodically flooded river flats, swamp localities, 

 and other moist places. 



Cyperus lucidus, R. Br., " Shining-leaf Rush "; order, Cyperaceae; 

 distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, 

 Queensland, Northern Australia, and Western Australia. The Shining- 



