INTRODUCTORY 9 



and their strong, long, fibrous roots, which penetrate deeply 

 into the earth, remain alive but dormant until the condition of 

 the soil and weather are favourable for them to again put 

 forth green leaves. In January, after a heavy fall of rain, I 

 have seen the dormant, woolly, swollen bases of the "tall 

 oat grass" develop stems and leaves, and in four months 

 plants more than six feet high, producing a remarkable amount 

 of rich, succulent herbage. That occurred on some of the 

 country west of the Darling River, but on the black soil 

 plains near Moree I have seen that fine grass nearly nine feet 

 high, and that wonderful growth was made in less than five 

 months after heavy summer rain, followed by favourable 

 weather. Several species, peculiar to the interior, of the 

 genus Eragrostis have large bulbous bases from which a 

 number of stems and leaves develop after rainfall, no matter 

 how prolonged the previous dry weather may have been. 

 Eragrostis eriopoda and E. laniftora are two very remarkable 

 plants in that particular. An allied species (E. lacunaria) 

 is popularly called "never fail" by stockmen, on account of 

 the phenomenal amount of dry weather it can withstand. 

 One of the ' ' mulga ' ' grasses (Danthonia bipartita) has a large 

 bulbous base and strong fibrous roots, which enable the plant 

 to withstand the torrid heat of Central Australia. After rain 

 quite a number of growths, generally not more than one foot, 

 and rarely exceeding two feet in height, are produced from 

 its base, and the leaves remain vividly green for a considerable 

 time, even if a long period of dry weather ensues. The 

 "Mitchell grasses" (Astrebla spp.} occupy large tracts of 

 country in the interior and have thick, knotty bases, which, 

 together with the strong, wiry roots, that penetrate deeply 

 into the earth, remain in a dormant condition during pro- 

 tracted droughts, but readily start into growths after a good 

 rainfall. These valuable pasture grasses, more particularly 

 (Astrebla elymoides), have a branching habit, and in an 



