QUEENSLAND RAIN FORESTS AND TREES. 209 



Some Characteristics of Queensland Rain 

 Forests and Rain-Forest Trees. 



By AV. D. Francis, Assistant Goverument Botanist. 



A^ERY few field observations of our rain-forest or so- 

 called "scrub'" trees appear to have been made and recorded 

 by botanists, although the open or hardwood forest trees, 

 especially the Eucalj^pts, have received a considerable 

 amount of attention. Perhaps the difficulties of determining 

 the rain-forest species in the field may account for part of 

 the botanists' neglect of them, as the recognition of the 

 various species in their wild state presents several obstacles, 

 such as the inaccessibility of the leaves, floM-ers, and fruit, 

 the apparent similarity of so many of the trees, and the 

 very large number of species crowded into a limited area. 



In the latter part of this paper the writer has 

 endeavoured to facilitate the recognition of some of the rain- 

 forest trees by placing on record some of their peculiarities. 

 It is not claimed that these peculiarities are exhibited in all 

 cases, but experience has shown that a large number of 

 them is serviceable in the field in the specific, generic, or 

 ordinal determinations in which they are stated to be 

 applicable. Alost of the observations were made by the 

 wa^iter during a residence of several years in the rain forest 

 at Kin Kin, North Coast line, or whilst on short official visits 

 to rain forests in various parts of the State. 



It is well known that the Eastern Australian rain- 

 forest flora, in contrast with the true or old Australian type 

 of vegetation as exemplified by the Eucalyptus forests, is 

 allied to the Papuan and Malayan floras, and is often 

 referred to as chiefly constituting the Austro-Malayan type. 

 Although allied to Papuan and Malayan ones, the great 

 majority of the Australian rain-forest species is endemic. 



THE RELATION OF RAIN FORESTS TO RAINFALL. 



The dependence of our luxuriant rain forests upon 



lieavy rainfall is unquestionable. The heavy or luxuriant 



