^- The South Australian Naturalist. 



THE PRIMITIVE FLORA OF ADELAIDE. 



By J. M. Black. 



There appear to be no records by the early colonists con- 

 cerning the flora in and around the capital of South Australia. 

 There was no Robert Brown or Labiliardiere among the passen- 

 gers of H.M.S. "Buffalo/" or of the other ships which arrived 

 here in 1836. One of the plates in George French Angas's 

 "South Australia Illustrated, "published in London in 1847, 

 depicts some of the native floAvers, but the first botanical work 

 done in the settled districts after 1S'S6 is that of Dr. F. Mueller 

 (later Baron von Mueller) between 1847 and 1852. Captain 

 Sturt had previously collected about 100 specimens in his great 

 expedition into the interior in 1844-6, and the specimens were 

 dealt with by Robert Brown in an appendix to Sturt 's narra- 

 tive. 



The surveyors of Adelaide have left us scarcely any account 

 of its vegetation. Colonel Light, speaking of his journey, in 

 December, 1836, from Holdfast Bay to the chosen site,, merely 

 says: — "Having traversed over nearly six miles of beautiful 

 flat, I arrived at the river (Torrens), and saw from this a 

 continuation of the same plain for at least six miles more, to the 

 foot of the hills under Mount Lofty." Mr. (afterwards Sir) 

 George Kingston, who was in charge of the survey work, says 

 there was "an abundant supply of fresh water in the river, 

 and the locality was moderately well wooded at an elevation 

 of 100 to 150 ft. above the river and the plains on the west.'' 



\\e shall, therefore, have to look at the book of Nature 

 in order to get some idea of the original flora of Adelaide. 

 The locality was "moderately well wooded,'' and there can be 

 little doubt that awaj^ from the river the trees were principally 

 Peppermint Gum (Eucalyptus odorata), especially on the lime- 

 stone land. There may have been here and there some speci- 

 mens of Red Gum (E. rostrata), or Blue Gum (E. leucoxylon). 

 In sinking foundations for buildings in the city and for deep 

 drainage very large butts of trees have sometimes been dis- 

 covered, but Pep})ermint, especially when many-stemmed, is 

 often much swollen at the base of the trunk. Along the flats 

 of the Torrens, and near the stream, the Red Gum must have 

 predominated. Although the Botanic Park has been almost 

 entirely replanted, and principally with exotic trees, a few 

 giant Red Gums still remain, looking venerable among the 

 younger trees, although sometimes scarred by fire and with 

 many dead branches near the summit. The land on the north 



