78 



North-East Coast. Many of the Hakeas of Australia have 

 broad leaves. This genus is very close to the large Aus- 

 tralian group of Grevillea, which differs in little except the 

 fruit being leathery instead of woody. We have but one 

 Grevillea, a small mountain plant. Orites is with us a 

 much more common mountain genus, but it has straight 

 flowers instead of much curved, as in our Grevillea. 



Honeysuckle is a very common tree. The leaves are 

 variable in shape, narrow or broad, toothed or plain on 

 the margin; the end appears as if cut off abruptly, and the 

 under-surface is nearly white and closely netted by the 

 veins. The toothed leaves are generally only found on very 

 young specimens. The flowers are massed together in 

 dense, oblong cones ; as in Hakea and Grevillea they 

 are arranged in pairs in the cones. The styles are very 

 long, forming conspicuous objects in the flowering stage, 

 otherwise they do not differ from the form described. 

 The fruit is a rather large flat, almost woody capsule, 

 which on splitting exposes two winged seeds. A few of 

 these fruits may generally be seen on most old cones. We 

 have only one common Honeysuckle, but there is a second 

 whose leaves are always serrated, and whose cones are 

 very large, that occupies a small area near Table Cape. 



We have a few other most interesting members of this 

 family. Mountain Rocket is common on elevated plains. 

 It is generally a very small shrub with numerous pink 

 and white little flowers in a head on the end of an erect 

 stalk. The fruit is flat, bright-red, and soft. Native 

 Plum is confined to the west. It is very like Laurel, only 

 the leaves are larger, flowers inconspicuous, fruit a small 

 purple plum. Persoonia is a small bush with small spiney 

 leaves, yellow flowers, and fleshy fruit. 



When we speak of the migration of Australian and 

 African Proteas from a common northern source we con- 

 vey an idea of simplicity probably not at all in accordance 

 with the true state of affairs. There has not been a con- 

 stant advance in even general climatic conditions on the 

 surface of the globe, but a complicated oscillation of 

 general and local changes, which have left but few signs of 

 their existence behind them. We have evidence that in 

 comparatively recent times a luxuriant vegetation existed 

 even in polar regions, followed by arctic conditions extend- 

 ing towards the tropics. The same alternations seem to 

 have occurred right back in very early times. The 

 luxuriant vegetation of the Carboniferous era was sue- 



