202 AUSTRALIAN VEGETATION. 
} 
and M'Leay rivers rise. This, however, the snowy mountains of Tas- 
mania and of continental Australia have in common, that the majo- 
rity of the alpine plants do not represent genera peculiar to colder 
countries, but exhibit hardy forms, referable to endemic Australian 
genera, or such as are allied to them. So, as already remarked, we 
possess alpine species, even of Eucalyptus and Acacia, besides of Hib- 
bertia, Oxylobium, Bossitea, Pnltenaa, Eriostemon, Boronia, Didhcus, 
Epacris, Leucopogon, Prostant/iera, Grevillea, Hakea, Persoonia, Pi- 
melea, Knnzea, Backea, SlacMonsia, Milrasacme, Xanthosia, Coprosma, 
Velleya, Prasophyllum ; yet Anemone, Caltha, Antennaria, Gaultheria, 
Alchemilla, Seseli, (Enothera, Huanaca, Abrotanella, Lignsticum, Astelia 
Gunner a, and other northern or western types, are not altogether miss- 
ing, though nowhere else to be found in Australia but in glacial regions. 
About half a hundred of the highland plants are strictly peculiar to 
Victoria, the rest prove mainly identical with Tasmanian species* 'but 
a few of ours, not growing in the smaller sister land, are, strange as it 
may appear, absolutely conspecific with European forms. Bather more 
than one hundred of the lowland plants ascend, however, to the glacial 
regions. Some of these are simultaneously desert-species. 
The only genus of plants absolutely peculiar to the Victorian terri- 
tory, Wittsteinia, occurs as a dwarf subalpine plant, of more herba- 
ceous than woody growth, restricted to the summits of Mount Baw- 
Baw; this, moreover, remained hitherto the only representative of Vac- 
ciniece in all Australia; it produces, like most of the Order, edible 
berries. 
The verdant summer herbage of valleys, which snow covers during 
the winter months, will render with increasing value of land-estates 
these free, airy, and still retreats in time fully occupied as pasturage 
during the warmer part of the year. Here, in sheltered glens, we 
have the means of raising all the plants delighting in the coolest climate. 
Eye-culture could probably be carried on at a considerable elevation. 
Of all the phanerogamic plants of Tasmania, about 130 are en- 
demic ; of those about 80 are limited to alpine elevations, or descend 
thence only into cool umbrageous valleys. The generic types pe- 
culiar to the island are again almost alpine (MUUgania, Campynema 
Ilewardia, Pterygopappw, Tetracarpeea, Anodopetalum , Cyslanthe, Trio- 
notis, Microcachrys, Biselma, Athrotaxis, Pherotphara, Belhndena, 
Cenarrhenes, Archeria), only Jeradema and Jgaslachys belonging seem- 
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