60 Forage Plants of Australia. 



ORDEE CHENOPODIACE.E. 



ATEIPLEX VESICAEIA, HEW. 



"Bladder Saltbush." 



Flora Austr., Vol. V, p. 172. 



AN erect bushy shrub growing about 18 inches or 2 feet high, and covered 

 with a scaly tomenturn. The leaves are variable but mostly oblong, lanceo- 

 late, contracted into a short stalk, and about f of an inch long. This 

 plant is sometimes dioecious, that is the male and female flowers are 

 borne on separate plants. Sometimes they are monoecious when the 

 unisexual flowers are borne on the same plant. The male flowers are 

 arranged iu small clusters forming rather dense terminal spikes of about 

 1 inch long. The female flowers are few together in axillary clusters. At 

 figure 1 is illustrated a section of the fruiting perianth which is membranous, 

 with large membranous inflated appendages like bladders on each face. Hence 

 its common name " Bladder Saltbush." This plant is found in the interior 

 of Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia, and in some 

 situations it is fairly plentiful. Its presence on our inland plains in such 

 quantities, may be attributed to the fact that it produces an abundance of 

 seed, when the plants are left undisturbed for a time, and when ripe they 

 germinate readily under ordinary conditions. This plant can also be pro- 

 pagated most readily by cuttings made of the half-ripened wood and put in 

 in the ordinary way. Early autumn or the spring of the year is the best 

 time for this operation. It is regarded as an excellent forage plant both 

 for cattle and sheep, and they thrive well on it, but it is said that horses 

 never do, and it is seldom that they will eat it unless other forage plants are 

 scarce. 



The seeds of this plant should be sown during the early autumn months 

 and after rainfall if possible, or, failing this, during the early spring months. 



