72 Audas, Characteristic Vegetation about Yarram. [v<J ct xxxv 



bronze-coloured foliage of the Myrtle Beech, Fagus Cunning- 

 hami ; growing on a branch of the latter I discovered the rather 

 peculiar edible fungus Cyttaria Gunnii, which greatly resembled 

 a bunch of grapes. Advancing, the pretty flowers of 

 Prostanthera rotundifolia and Goodia lotifolia met our eye at 

 almost every turn. On a clayey cutting we came upon some 

 nice patches of that interesting little moss, Dawsonia superba. 

 It is an erect plant, from nine to twelve inches in height. Its 

 dark green foliage and short, thick fruit-stalk, tipped with 

 woolly-looking capsules, give it, as its name implies, a superb 

 appearance. Accompanying it was a very pretty little lichen, 

 BcBomyces heteromorphus. This lichen may easily be mistaken 

 for a fungus, but it is a true lichen, and resembles somewhat 

 a tiny mushroom with a rose-pink head, the whole plant not 

 being more than half an inch high. As we proceeded, each step 

 revealed a vista of increasing beauty, and the valley became 

 more clothed by the dense vegetation, comprising Blanket-wood, 

 Sassafras, Silver Wattle, Musk, Mountain Pepper, Hazel, 

 Mutton-wood, Christmas Bush, with the tree-ferns Dicksonia 

 and Alsophila. After ascending a steep incline a sudden bend 

 in the road revealed a picturesque waterfall, with a drop of 

 eighty feet or more. Near it the Valley Tree-ferns grew luxuri- 

 antly, and clinging to their brown trunks by adventitious roots 

 were some fine specimens in flower and fruit of the rare shrub 

 Fieldia anstralis, the only representative of the Gesneriaceae 

 in our State. About a mile further on the head of the gully 

 was reached, and from our elevated position a splendid view 

 of the valley and wooded ranges was obtained. 



Working our way through the tangled vegetation for a short 

 distance our path was strewn with fallen trees — the result of 

 decay and storm. Many of the trees were much decomposed, 

 and mosses and fungi had taken possession and beautified them 

 with their varying colours of green and gold. One of the first 

 mosses to attract our attention was Cyathophorum pennatum, 

 which had thrown its mantle of feathery greenery over some 

 fallen tree-ferns. Another moss, Hypnodendron spininervum, 

 in splendid fruit, and about four inches high, was collected. 

 This plant has a minute palm-like appearance, and makes 

 beautiful herbarium specimens when pressed. Further on we 

 found Ptychomnion aciartare and Thuidium furfurosurn in fruit, 

 besides Plagiochila, Lepidozia, Lejeunia, Frullania, and other 

 hepatics. / 



During the trip a wide area of country was gone over. 

 About ioo species of the more uncommon flowering plants and 

 25 species of Cryptogams were collected. The flora was varied 

 and interesting, the outing, on the whole, being a very pleasant 

 one. 



