THE WEEDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



The country it thrives best in is a rich black soil river-frontage country ; and 

 the Upper Murray, Cumberoona, Wagra, and that locality, situated from 17 to 

 30 miles from Albury, is where it is to be seen in the spring growing most 

 luxuriantly, and the purple flower in the valleys, as seen from the surrounding 

 hills, is exactly like water in a lake. Inspector of Stock, Albury. 



I have noticed it invariably in close proximity to main roads, being the 

 inference that it was brought there by travelling stock ; and the largest extent 

 seen by me was in Cumberoona, about 17 miles above Albury. on the Upper 

 Murray road. One patch must have covered something like 100 acres, at a 

 rough estimate. Wherever the plant gets a fair hold it completely smothers 

 the grass. A. H. CHESTERMAN, Staff Surveyor. 



I am forwarding, under separate cover, a herb which has. according to report, 

 only appeared on the plains here during the last two or three years that is. 

 since the sheep came back after being away during the drought. My object in 

 writing is to inquire if it is poisonous, as it is very thick in the whea ten-hay 

 crop; and, if not, if it is good, feed for stock? At present the stock will not 

 touch it, and if it is poisonous can any means be suggested for its eradication, 

 since there are so many patches of it hereabout? H. P. SMITH, Illilawa. Hay, 

 1st November, 1904. 



The following list of shires and municipalities in which this plant has 

 been proclaimed noxious is very formidable, and has been supplied by the 

 Local Government Department, 1919 : 



SHIRES. 



Abercrombie Cuicairn Lachlan Tamarang 



Berrigan Demondrille Lockhart Timbreboiigie 



Bland Gadara Lyndhurst Tumbarumba 



Bogan Gilgandra Macquarie Turon 



Boree Gloucester Mitchell Wakool 



Carrathool Goobang Mulwaree Waradgery 



Cessnock Hoibrook Mumbulla Wangoola* 



Cobbora Hume Murray Weddin 



Conargo lllabo Murrumbidgee Windouran 



Coolamon Jemalong Murrungal Urana 



Ccreen Jmdalee Narraburra Yallaroi. 



Crookwell Kyeamba Rylstone 



MUNICIPALITIES. 



Albury Gundagai Parkes Wagga Wagga 



Burrowa Hay Quirindi Wyalong. 



Cootamundra Junee Temora 



Corowa Murrumburrah Tumut 



Purple-top or Wild Verbena (Verbena bonariensis L.). 



(VERBENACE^E : Verbena Family.) 



Botanical Name. Verbena (see below) ; bonariensis, Latinised adjectival 

 form of Buenos Ayres, the capital of the Argentine Eepublic, South America, 

 the home of this particular plant. 



Botanical Description. Genus, Verbena. Note. V. venosa and V. bona- 

 riensis both belong to the section PachystachyaB, with abbreviated flower- 

 spikes. 



Species. Bonariensis, L. 

 An erect, coarse, rigid herb of 2 to 4 feet, the stems scarcely branched, 



acutely four-angled and roughly hispid, especially on the angles. 

 Leaves.- Sessile, lanceolate, er the lower ones ovate-lanceolate. 1 to nearly 

 3 inches long, coarsely toothed, hirsute, the upper ones distant, small, 

 and narrow. 



Flowers. In rather close spikes of * to f inch, which are usually clustered 

 at the end of the branches of a rigid corymbose, trichotomous panicle, 

 and generally assume a bluish-purple hue. 

 Bracts. Acute, ciliate, hirsute, 1 to 1* lines long. 

 Calyx. Shorter than the bract. 



Corolla-tube. Shortly exceeding the calyx, the lobes broad and spreading 

 (B.FL, v. 36.) 



