NOTES UPON SOME PLANT SPECIMENS COLLEC- 

 TED BY DR. THOS. L. BANCROFT ON THE 

 DIAMANTINA. 



By F. M. BAILEY, F.L.S., Colonial Botanist. 



[lU'dfl before the Eo;/(d Societi/ of (Juivusldud, 6th Mmj, 1892.] 



When that excellent scientist, my friend Dr. T. L. Bancroft, 

 is called upon to visit distant parts of the colony he invariably 

 makes it a rule to bring back with him as many specimens of 

 the flora as time will allow. Thus while on his recent visit to 

 the Diamantina to make enquiry into a disease affecting the live 

 stock of the district, he then collected specimens of a number 

 of the indigenous plants, particularly those of an economic 

 character. These specimens having been presented to me, I 

 thought a few notes on the most interesting species might be 

 worthy of a place in the Society's Proceedings. It would occupy 

 far too much space to enumerate all the plants, so only those 

 of economic or botanic interest will be brought under notice. 



Cai'paris spixosa, var. nununularia. This, the Australian 

 representative of the caper of commerce, is found more or less 

 abundantly from Western Australia to the coast lands of Tropical 

 Queensland. In appearance it rather closely resembles the 

 common caper plant, yet, strange to say, seems never to have 

 had its young unexpanded buds gathered for pickling. The 

 fruit, however, which is about the size •)f a pigeon's e<j;^^, and 

 longitudinally ribbed, is eaten when ripe, like that of C. sar- 

 mentosa, A. <'uu)i, which is so plentiful in the Brisbane district. 



C. MiTCHELLi. IJmU. This bears a fruit about 2 inches in 

 diameter, the pulp of which is sv.eet and agreeable, and known 

 to bushmen as the Pomegranate. The tree is one of the best 

 for sbade on the inland plains. 



