^ifiT'] D'Ai^TO^, Botany of the'' Litile Desert." yt 



few spots, particularly along the northern margin, some nice 

 bushes of Eriostemon pungens may be found in conjunction 

 with its more showy neighbour, Eremophila gibhosijolia. The 

 common Correa speciosa abounds everywhere — flowers red, 

 with whitish tips to petals, and roundish, crumpled leaves. 

 Pelargonium Rodneyanum is rather rare, but may be found 

 along the southern margin. Oxalis corniculata abounds in the 

 better class of soils, and P or anther a micro phylla, with its 

 relatives, Beyeria viscosa and Amperea spartioides, abound in 

 certain parts of* the Desert. Claytonia australasica is to be 

 found growing in many of the springs, and C. calyptrata is fond 

 of the shade of trees in sandy ground. Scleranthus pungens is 

 not rare on sandy flats, and Rhagodia nutans may be found 

 along the margins of the Desert, twining through the scrub. 

 Chenopodium carinatum, with its unpleasant smell, has found 

 its way into some parts, but is not very common. Suceda 

 maritima is not uncommon in the salt lakes, 3.nd Mesemhry- 

 anthemtim australe is likewise fond of the saline soils. Muehlen- 

 beckia Ciinninghami is fairly common around the fresh-water 

 swamps in most parts of the Desert, and the Legnminosae is, 

 together with those plants already enumerated, represented 

 by PttUencBa largiflorens, P. densifolia, Dillwynia fiorihunda, 

 D. patula, D. ericifolia, Platylohium obtusangulum, Swainsonia 

 procumbens, Kennedy a prostrata, Acacia spinescens, A. rigens, 

 A. pycnantha, A. brachybotrya, A. trineura, A. sclerophylla, and 

 a very few A. decurrens. TillcBa verticillaris is frequent on 

 spongy ground, and on the same sort of soil may be found 

 Thryptomene ciliata, Cryptandra leucophracta and C. suh- 

 ochreata. On the sandy, springy ground the showy Ajuga 

 australis is fairly abundant, and aquatic plants, such as Ottelia 

 ovali folia and Vallisneria spiralis grow in some of the tanks 

 sunk by the squatters in the early days. In many places, 

 amongst the high scrub, the blue blossoms of the Dianella 

 revoluta make a show in the spring of the year, and Bartlingia 

 sessiliflora makes its insignificant presence known. Along the 

 river frontage, near what is called the " Burning Bog," grow 

 large tufts of Claditun articulatum, or the " Jointed Rush," 

 and a great variety of other semi-aquatic sedges, Cyperus, 

 Heleocharis, Scirpus, Schoenus, and Carex. In the sand 

 hummocks grow Lepidosperma later ale, L. carphoides, 

 Lepidobolus drapetocoleus, and Calostrophus fastigiatus. With 

 the exception of the Common Bracken, Pteris aquilina, which 

 grows in some parts along the margin of the Desert, there are 

 no ferns. A small creeping caryophyllaceous plant found by 

 the writer near the " Burning Bog " was declared new for 

 Victoria by Mr. Luehmann, and named Arenaria axillaris by 

 him. 



