THE FLORA OF S. E. QUEENSLAND. 277 



Of the many legume-bearers in the forest country, the most 

 interesting is Daviesia arboren, W. Hill, the only arborescent Queens- 

 land species in a genus usually represented by undershrubs. This 

 plant, when not in flower, has the aspect of a wattle, resembling the 

 acacias in bark aspect, and simulating phyllodes in its leaves. The 

 leaves are, however, lighter and more pohshed on the upper side 

 than is usual in wattles. Its papilionaceous blossoms are crowded 

 along the stems, and are golden yellow at first, becoming reddish 

 when fading. It forms dense thickets on the eastern side of 

 Tambourine Mountain, and is quite a feature of that side of the 

 northern tableland. The common wattles on the summits are 

 Acacia decurrens, Willd., and A. iviplexa. Benth, with twisted 

 pods ; at lower levels these are replaced by A. Cimninghamii, 

 Hook., A. aulacocarpa, A. Cunn., A.falcata, Willd., and A. longifolia, 

 Willd. In broken gullies, just before the streams reach the coast 

 plain, small clumps of A. amcena, Wendl., are common. 



8. The Creek Sides. — In this formation we have a mixture 

 of scrub and forest trees, but still it has many features of its own. 

 There are masses of the East Indian CcBsalpinia sepiaria, Roxb., now 

 thoroughly acclimatised, and forming prickl}?, impenetrable thickets 

 along the sides of the narrow creek scrubs. With these, but more 

 commonly in broken giound where the creek leaves the lowest 

 spurs, are two allied native species Mezoneurum brachycarpum, 

 Benth., whose stems are winged with corky flanges, and M. 

 scortechinii, F.v.M., with cyhndrical stems. Many scrub trees 

 found on the summits descend to the coast plain on the eastern sides 

 of the tablelands, especially the Rutaces and Myrtaceae. Here 

 they have a totally different aspect, being less lofty, more sym- 

 metrically branched, and having well-shaped rounded heads. 

 Several plants of the order A nonacece find a home in these stream- 

 fringing scrubs, as Ancana stenopetala, F.v.M., with yellowish flowers 

 one inch long, and having a vinous odour ; the native custard- 

 apple, Eiipomatia Bennettii, F. v. M., with edible fruits, and 

 Enpomatia laurina, R. Br., with fruits like those of a eucalypt in 

 outward appearance. A plant worthy of cultivation is Hedrai- 

 anthern porphyropetala, F. v. M., a shrub with glabrous leaves, 

 corymbs of purple flowers, and capsules which, when they dehisce, 

 straighten out the valves into one plane, so as to form five-pointed 

 stars. Another plant worthy of a place in our public gardens is 

 Hyinenosponim flavum, F. v. M., which reaches a height of 15-20 

 feet, and, when covered with its wealth of yellow, scented blossoms, 

 with a background of dark scrub foliage, and a running stream in 

 front, is a picture well worth seeing. Here, too, one can see thickets 

 of the finger hme, Citrus austr alasica, F. v. M., with scattered shrubs 

 of its variety sanguinea, Bail., the blood lime. Introduced Ameri- 

 can pests are prominent, especially Lantana camara, L., with its 

 umbels of pink, white and yellow flowers. 



9. The Rock Flora. — This includes plants which are able to 

 bear great extremes of heat and cold, flourishing equally well under 

 the winter frosts or when the rocks are heated bv the summer sun. 



