26 Forage Plants of Australia. 



ORDER LEGUMINOS^B. 



CASSIA PHYLLODINEA, E. BE. 



" Curious-leaved Cassia." 

 Flora Austr., Vol. II, p. 287. 



AJST erect, rigid, bushy shrub, hoary or white, with a close silky tomentum ; 

 leaves all phyllodineous ; linear vertically compressed but thick, 1 inch to 1-| 

 inches long. The flowers are arranged on short stalks in the leaf axils ; pods 

 slightly curved, and about -| an inch broad. This shrub is found in the arid 

 interior of New South Wales and South Australia, but it is reported to be 

 nowhere very plentiful, although it will stand a phenomenal amount of heat 

 and dry weather, and produce a fair amount of seed when left unmolested 

 for a time, which, when ripe, will germinate readily under ordinary conditions. 

 Its scarcity, however, may be accounted for by the fact that both sheep and 

 cattle eat it greedily, even if other feed should be plentiful. Sheep are 

 particularly fond of the young green seed-pods, and also the young seed- 

 lings, so that it is very seldom they get a chance to grow into shrubs. This 

 plant is well worthy of conservation, or even cultivation on the dry, barren, 

 stony places on runs in the interior, where little other vegetation could exist. 

 In such situations it would afford some forage during the most trying times 

 of drought and heat. 



"When the seed of this shrub becomes old it gets very hard, and it should 

 be steeped in water for a few days, or carefully torrefied, otherwise 

 germination will be considerably delayed. The seeds are best sown as early 

 as possible after the first autumn rains, or, failing this, the sowing should be 

 deferred until September or October. Care, however, will have to be taken 

 of the young seedlings until they grow to some size, for if left unprotected 

 sheep or cattle will soon browse them down. 



