So Pescott and French, A Year Among the Orchids. [voMcxxii 



Among the less numbered genera several species were 

 collected. Chiloglottis Gunnii was very plentiful at Wandin, 

 growing in the dry soils. One plant was found growing in tin- 

 moss on a low island in the Watts River at Healesville. The 

 two Acianthns. . I. caudatus and .1. exsertus, are still with us 

 in fair numbers, the latter being the more common. Cryp- 

 tostylis longifolia is also well represented, although at Ringwood 

 and at Oakleigh live stock are beginning to eat it up. LTndei 

 cultivation, this orchid flowered bountifully this season. Its 

 mate. C. leptochila, was fairly abundant at Gembrook, but, 

 while very many plants were noted. no1 one flower-head was 

 seen. The dry season, again, was possibly responsible for this. 



The two species of Eriochilus- E. {Caladenia) fimbriate and 

 /■. . autumnalis—diXe yet abundant, and it was pleasant to note 

 how sweetly fragrant E. autumnalis was. in the warm, dry 

 weather of April and May. Microtis porrifolia was abundant 

 in old creek beds at Ringwood, and elsewhere in moist localities. 

 M. atrata was very common at Coldstream. Glossodia major, 

 a warm weather and hardy orchid, was this year very variable. 

 At Ringwood, Oakleigh, and at many Other places, it was 

 fairly common. In normal seasons, in the State Forest at 

 Chiltern, this lovely and yet common orchid usually carpets 

 the ground in great profusion; but this year a drive through 

 hundreds ol acres "I the foresl revealed only live individual 

 flowers. Probably, as in the case of Lyperanthus nigricans, 

 the foliage developed, bu1 shrivelled on account of the dry 

 weather. 



And so, ou1 "i the ninety-six species recorded for Victoria 

 in the past year, we have observed a total ol sixty-two, oi 

 nearly two-thirds of all the species. The outstanding feature 

 ol our observations is the undoubted fad that, owing to the 

 inevitable spread oi cultivation and settlement, the family <>t 

 on bids, which is so wonderfully interesting, is fasl passing 

 away from out midst. Unlike other classes ol plants, this one 

 doe- not readily lend itseli to cultivation, noi dues it survive 

 lot any time on settled lands, and it is thus impressed upon ns 

 that, while they are ye1 with ns. we should study them, and 

 m, record foi future generations tales ol the plants which will 

 then, no doubt, be extincl . 



Vernacular Names for Victorian Plants. I he Augusi 

 number of the Journal oj Agriculture of Victoria contains a 

 further instalment ol the provisional list ol vernaculai names. 

 comprising the orders from Callitrichiaceas to Umbelliferse, 

 This part includes the Myrtaceae. among which are many 

 beautiful shrubs worthy ol garden cultivation, also the different 

 species of eucalypts, foi which the selection ot suitable ver- 

 naculai names proved a very difncull task 



