Forage Plants of Australia. 47 



OEDEE, CHENOPODIACE^B. 



EHAGODIA BILLAEDIEEI, E. BE. 



" Coastal Saltbush." 



Flora Austr., Vol. V,p. 152. 



A BBAXCfliNG, straggling, or erect shrub, attaining a height of about 6 feet. 

 The leaves are from \ to 1 inch long, usually green above when full- 

 grown, and pale or whitish underneath, somewhat variable in shape, but 

 usually oblong lanceolate. The flowers are arranged in a terminal panicle, 

 with rather slender spreading branches. At the smaller branch in the right- 

 hand corner of the engraving is illustrated a portion in fruit, which consists 

 of numerous small juicy berries. When the shrub is in full fruit, and the 

 dark-red berries are ripe, it gives quite a feature to the plant, and is 

 extremely ornamental. This shrub is found growing in nearly all the 

 Australian Colonies, but is peculiar only to the littoral sands. At 'one time 

 it was growing abundantly along the coast, but where cattle have had free 

 access it is gradually disappearing. They are so fond of its succulent stems 

 and leaves that it is often cropped down close to the ground, and it has little 

 chance to recuperate or produce seed for its natural reproduction. If the 

 plant is left undisturbed for a time, however, it produces an abundance of 

 seed, so that there would be little difficulty in the way of its redissemination. 

 Besides its natural means of reproduction by seed, it is easily propagated by 

 cuttings made of the half-ripened wood, ard put in in the ordinary way, The 

 seeds should be sown during the autumn months, and the cuttings also are 

 best put in at that time of the year. .Apart from its great value as a forage 

 plant, it is of the greatest use in binding the drift-sands near the ocean. 

 The plant is neither affected by the severest gales nor by the spray from the 

 sea, for it often may be seen growing on the brink of the ocean. This fact 

 should be noted by those who contemplate planting on these drift-sands to 

 prevent them being blown inland by the fury of sea winds. If this shrub is 

 planted on drift-sands it will be advisable, after the operation is done, to lay 

 tea-tree branches oil the sands, and peg them firmly down. This will prevent 

 the plants being smothered with sand until they have become firmly estab- 

 lished. Once this is effected, however, the plants are quite able to take care 

 of themselves, except, of course, under close feeding. Cattle might never- 

 theless be turned occasionally into the enclosures where the plant is grown 

 with beneficial results, because they would eat off the long, straggling 

 growths, which would have the effect of making the shrubs grow thicker, 

 and this would be a decided advantage. 



There are about a dozen species of the genus Rliayodia indigenous in 

 Australia, and they are found from the coast to the arid interior. Most of them 

 are excellent forage plants, which herbivora of all descriptions are remark- 

 ably fond of. Many of them are becoming very scarce, either through over- 

 stocking or through being constantly trampled on by the animal's hoofs, 

 which gives them no chance to recuperate or produce seeds for their natural 

 reproduction. Pastoralists regret very much the disappearance of these 

 valuable forage plants from the interior of this continent ; but then they 

 have made no provision to perpetuate them, which might be done by a 

 system of conservation in those districts where the plants have not entirely 

 disappeared, and redissemination in those districts where the plants may 

 have died out. Unless this is done grazing areas must become less valuable . 



