Aug.,1 Kelly, Plant Distribution in the Healesville District. 6 3 



and December, and seeds are found ripe on it in the end of the 

 latter month and in January. Many of the pods are covered 

 by a pretty, cup-shaped yellow fungus, which prevents the 

 formation of the seed, and identified by Mr. C. C. Brittlebank 

 as Accidium eburnum, M'Alp. Dillwynia floribtmda is plentiful 

 in the Chum Creek and Grevillea repens formation, whilst D. 

 cinerascens and D. ericifolia are plentifully distributed on the 

 lower hillsides. Indigofera australis, in its normal colour, is 

 scattered throughout the district. Here and there is seen a 

 white variety, but very rarely. On the west bank of the 

 Myers Creek road, between M'Donald's and the falls, it is very 

 plentiful, and, growing close together, are the white, pink, and 

 dark blue varieties, the last predominating. Intermediate 

 shades are to be seen there, forming complete colouration 

 links from the purest white to deep indigo. In view of the 

 fact that colour, which was at one time thought to play an 

 unimportant part in the character of flowers from a botanical 

 standpoint, has now attained greater significance as indicating 

 distinct constitutional changes, it may be well here to mention 

 that white varieties are also seen here of blue or pink flowers, 

 such as Wahlenhergia gracilis. Prunella vulgaris, Glossodia 

 major, Erythrcea australis, Viola hederacea (the white is not quite 

 pure), Tetratheca ciliata, Kennedya (Hardenbergia) monophylla 

 (with an intermediate pinkish colour), several of the Brachy- 

 comes (but not to pure white), Isotoma fluviatilis, and a strong 

 tendency to white is noticeable in some of the Lobehas. 



Cryptandra Hookeri, the only one of the genus here, is in 

 company with Pomaderris apetala, a denizen of the higher gullies 

 and streams, and is very plentiful, and in that sense scarcely an 

 isolated plant. Astrotricha ledifolia is found on the sides of the 

 Fernshaw road and stony hillsides above the town in similar 

 situation to the Yellow Waxflower, Eriostemon corrcefolius. Panax, 

 in the upper and some of the lower gullies, grows in its two 

 forms, P. sambucifolius and P. dendroides, and on the Toolangi 

 side of Mount St. Leonard are a few specimens of P. Murrayi. 

 Most of the plants representing the UmbelHferge, as Hydrocotyle 

 and Xanthosia dissecta, belong to the carpet vegetation. H. 

 geranifolia frequents the banks of small watercourses in the 

 upper ranges ; H. hirta and H. laxiflora the banks of lower 

 streams. Exocarpus cupressiformis is a member of the associa- 

 tion on lower hills of eucalyptus and the scrubby acacias, A. 

 linearis and A. striata, and is probably semi-parasitic on their 

 roots. The beautiful flowering Lythrum salicaria grows in or 

 near the water of swamps, generally amongst reeds, L. 

 hyssopifolia on the moist grass flats ; but as these plants are 

 also well known in European floras there is more than a sus- 

 picion that they have been introduced. 



