Forage Plants of Australia. 65 



ORDER CHENOPODIACE.E. 



ATRIPLEX LIMBATA, BENTIT. 

 " Spreading Saltbush." 



Flora Austr.> Vol. F, p. 178. 



A PERENNIAL plant usually spreading from 1^ to 2 feet or even more, and 

 covered all over with a scaly tomentum. The leaves are obovate or oblong r 

 entire or angular-toothed, and arranged on short stalks. All the flowers are 

 axillary, the male clusters in the upper axils surrounded by females, the 

 lower clusters all females. At figure 1 is illustrated an enlarged drawing of 

 the fruiting perianth, the orifice of which is closed by two valves, the lateral 

 ones are spreading incurved and horn-like, with the two upright appendages 

 alternating with them. The fruiting perianths are mostly sessile in the leaf 

 axils, but sometimes they are arranged on rather long stalks. 



This plant has, so far as I can make out, a very restricted geographical 

 range, being found only between the Lachlan and Darling Eivers in 

 Xew South Wales. Its drought-enduring qualities are remarkable, and 

 when left unmolested it will grow through the most adverse season of 

 drought and heat. This may be accounted for by its somewhat procum- 

 bent stems, which not only prevent the evaporation of any moisture that 

 may be in the soil, but exclude the sun's rays from near its roots. It is one 

 of the famous salinous plants which are fast dissapearing through over- 

 stocking, or, that terrible pest, the rabbit. 3t is said that rabbits are 

 very partial to a great many of our saltbushes. Where the growth is too high 

 for them to reach the leaves and younger branches, they eat the bark, which, 

 of course, is the cause of many of the plants dying. Stock of all descriptions 

 are remarkably fond of the plant under notice, and sheep often crop it 

 down so close to the ground that it gets little chance to produce seed 

 for its natural reproduction. When left undisturbed for a time it will 

 produce an abundance of seed which, when ripe, will germinate readily under 

 ordinary conditions ; so that there is no great difficulty in the way of any one 

 who wants to enter upon a system of cultivation of this valuable salinous 

 plant, where it may have died out through overstocking, or the conservation 

 of it where still growing. This will have to be undertaken, along with that 

 of many more of its congeners, if our central plains are to carry the number 

 of sheep and cattle that they have done in the past. 



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

 rainfall if possible, or failing this in September or October. 



