The Forage Plants of Australia. 



ORDER CRUCIEERJE. 



BLENNODIA FILIFOLIA, BENTH. 

 "Mustard Bush." 



Flora Austr., Vol. 7, p. 73. 



A SMALL shrub growing from 12 to 15 inches high. Its leaves are solitary 

 or clustered, linear and entire, and from half to one inch long. The whole 

 plant is glabrous. The flowers are exceedingly small. The detached portion 

 in the right hand corner of the engraving shows an enlarged drawing of a 

 portion of the fruiting raceme, with spreading pedicels of about half an 

 inch. Pods shortly stalked, straight, or slightly curved, rarely above ^in. 

 long, with an adherent style. The valves are prominently one-nerved, and 

 the seeds are obovate. This plant is peculiar to the plains between the 

 Lachlan. and the Darling Rivers of $ew South Wales and extends into 

 South Australia, and is moderately plentiful in some situations. Its free 

 seeding qualities have rendered it 'somewhat proof against extermination. 

 After a good rainfall seedlings spring up very rapidly ; and they soon grow 

 large enough to afford good feed, which cattle and sheep are remarkably 

 fond of, owing, 110 doubt, to a pungent flavour pervading the whole plant. 

 Dairy cow^s, however, should not be allowed to graze iu pastures where 

 this plant is abundant for it will flavour both milk and butter, so much as 

 to render it unsuitable for domestic use. It is on account of the pungent 

 nature of this plant that it has received the appellation of " mustard bush" 

 from stockmen. The drought-enduring qualities of this plant are remark- 

 able ; for when once the plant gets well established in the soil it will 

 continue to grow in the most adverse seasons of drought and great heat : 

 consequently it affords feed when other kinds of vegetation are somewhat 

 dried up during rainless seasons. 



There are twelve species of the genus Blennodia indigenous in Australia, 

 and all of them are more or less relished by stock. A pungent flavour per- 

 vades the whole of the species in a more or less degree, it being a character- 

 istic of the order. 



The species arranged under the order Cruciferae are not very numerous in 

 Australia. There are only 15 genera, and as far as is at present known, 

 about 49 species that are truly indigenous ; but many exotic species have 

 found a congenial home here, and may be found growing in various parts of 

 the colony. The order, however, is represented nearly all over the globe ; 

 but the species are more numerous in the temperate regions of the northern 

 hemisphere. Altogether there are 206 known genera, and about 1730 species. 

 It is one of the most easily recognised of natural orders by its flowers or fruits. 



