70 

 Lithospermum hirtum, Lehmann. 



North American Alkanna. A showy perennial herb ; the 

 root yields a red dye. 



Lithospermum canescens, Lehmann. 



North American Alkannet. This, as the vernacular name 

 indicates, offers also a dye root. 



Lithospermum longiflorum, Sprengel. 



North America. A red pigment can also be extracted from 

 the root of this species. 



Livistona Australis, Martins. 



East Australia. Our own and only Palm-tree in Victoria, 

 occurring in East Gripps Land (in the latitude of Melbourne), 

 and there attaining a height of 80 feet. The young leaves 

 can be plaited as a material for cabbage-tree hats. 



Livistona Chinensis, E. Brown. 



South China and Japan. A very decorative fan-palm, hardy 

 in our lowlands. 



Lolium perenne, L.* 



Europe, North Africa, Western Asia. The perennial Eye- 

 G-rass, mentioned here for completeness' sake. L. Italicum, 

 Al. Br., the Italian Rye- Grass, seems to be only a variety. 

 One of the most important of all pasture-grasses, also almost 

 universally chosen for lawn-culture. It produces an abund- 

 ance of seeds, which are readily collected and easily vegetate. 

 It arrives early to perfection. Nevertheless the produce 

 and nutritive powers are considerably less than those of 

 Dactylis glomerata, Alopecurus pratensis and Festuca 

 elatior ; but it pushes forward earlier than the last mentioned 

 grass, while the ripening of seeds is less defective than in 

 Alopecurus. Eye-grass though naturally living but a few 

 years, maintains its ground well by the ease, with which it 

 disseminates itself spontaneously. Several sorts, which 

 scarcely can be called varieties, are under cultivation. 

 Eye-grass stands the dry heat of our summers well. It is 

 likely to spread gradually over the whole of the Australian 

 continent, and may play an important part in our pastoral 



