64 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Atriplex halimoides, Lindley.* 



Gregarious over the greater part of the saline desert-interior of 

 Australia reaching the South- and West-coasts. One of the best 

 dwarf species for salt-bush pastures. More saline and thus less 

 agreeable to sheep, also less copiously seeding than A. nummularium 

 [E. Gr. Alston]. These two species will endure as much frost as 

 A. Halimus. All such plants are readily raised from seeds. Should 

 even in its native places with other valuable species be redisseminated 

 methodically. About 20,000 dried seeds (fruits) go to a pound. A 

 covering with prickly branches will effect protection to the young 

 seedlings against sheep and other pasture-animals. The gregarious 

 occurrence of A. halimoides and A. vesicarium in some wide subsaline 

 tracts of the Australian interior is indicative of the facility with which 

 these two kinds of salt-bushes get even spontaneously disseminated. 

 Where these plants are to be grown, permanently the soil must of 

 course contain a fair proportion of saline particles, especially chloride, 

 either naturally or artificially. 



Atriplex hortense, Dodoens. 



Northern and Middle Asia. The " Arroche." An annual spinage 

 plant. Hardy in Norway to lat. 70 [Schuebeler] . Seeds mature 

 well, and will keep fully six years [Vilmorin], 



Atriplex leptocarpum, F. v. Mueller. 



East- Australia. This is another of the perennial salt-plants, 

 though not a large one, which render many of our dry and sterile 

 tracts valuable for sheep pastures. It will bear a great amount of 

 drought, and if not too closely fed down, produce seeds in abundance. 

 Australian salsolaceous plants were first recommended by the writer 

 of this work for the alkaline lands of California. 



Atriplex Muelleri, Bentham. 



Interior of Australia, reaching the South- and West-coasts. Cattle 

 and especially sheep are so fond of it that they often browse it to 

 the root. This species approaches in its characteristics closely to A. 

 roseum (Linne) from Europe, North-Africa and Western" Asia ; 

 which thus perhaps may be of greater rural significance also, than 

 hitherto supposed. For specifically distinguishing all the Australian 

 kinds the writer's Iconography of Australia's Salsolaceous Plants 

 should be consulted. 



Atriplex nummularium, Lindley.* 



From Queensland through the desert-tracts to Victoria and South- 

 Australia. One of the tallest, most fattening and wholesome of Aus- 

 tralian pastoral salt-bushes, but not so much relished by grazing 

 animals as some of the smaller species. Sheep and cattle, pastured 

 on salt-bush country, are said to remain not only free from fluke, but 



