EDIBLE SHRUBS 69 



distributed on the continent, but mostly near the coast. 

 Dodoncea attenuata is a shrub attaining a height of eight or 

 ten feet, with narrow, rather thick and rigid leaves, usually 

 from two to four inches long. Its habitat is principally in 

 the interior, and generally it grows on soils of a sandy nature, 

 and is a prominent feature on many sandhills. During adverse 

 seasons this shrub is a valuable stand-by on some stations, 

 where large quantities are cut down and fed to stock. Dod- 

 oncea lobulata, which is sometimes called "Red Fruited Hop 

 Bush, " is a tall shrub from twelve to fifteen feet high, with 

 thick, rigid, variously shaped leaves from one inch to two 

 inches long. This shrub grows over immense tracts of country 

 inland, and its drought-enduring qualities are remarkable, for 

 the torrid heat of summer, and the periodical hot winds do 

 not appear to seriously affect its growth. In many districts it 

 is considered one of the best forage shrubs, and sheep will 

 often stand on their hind legs to browse upon the foliage, 

 which otherwise would be out of their reach. Its winged 

 fruits, which are usually produced in great abundance, have 

 a very pleasant bitter flavour, and herbivora are remarkably 

 fond of them. In the early days of settlement its fruits were 

 used as a substitute for hops, hence its popular name, Hop 

 Bush. The leaves and young branchlets of two other kinds 

 of Hop Bush, viz., Daviesia corymbosa and D. latijolia, are 

 much eaten by cattle and horses, even when other herbage 

 is plentiful. 



Milk Bush. Amongst the remarkable plants indigenous 

 to Australia few have had such widely different values assigned 

 to them by pastoralists, stockmen, and others, as the Milk 

 Bush (Sarcostemma australe). In the western portion of the 

 continent it is regarded as a valuable forage plant, but in 

 some parts of north-eastern Australia it has been suspected 

 of poisoning cattle and sheep ; while in Northern Australia 



