66 Forage Plants of Australia. 



ORDER CHENOPODIACE.E. 



ATEIPLEX HALIMOIDES, LIKDL. 

 " Halimus-like Saltbush." 



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



A PEOCUMBENT or diffuse undershrub, often attaining a height of 1 foot or 

 more. The whole plant has a glaucous or whitish appearance. Its leaves 

 are very variable in form, but mostly ovate lanceolate or rhomboidal, and from 

 1 inch to 2 inches in length. This plant is peculiar to the arid saline country 

 north-west of the Bogaii and Darling Eivers, in New South Wales ; The 

 Burnett, Suttor, and Bogan Eivers, in Queensland ; The Wimmera in 

 Victoria, and from the Murray Eiver towards Coopers' Creek in South 

 Australia, and was moderately plentiful in the saline country before the 

 disastrous droughts combined with the rabbits and the overstocking of 

 runs with sheep and cattle were so marked. This plant is excellent forage 

 both for sheep and cattle, and they eat it with great avidity, often cropping 

 it close to the ground ; and they fatten remarkably well on it. It is not only 

 a good fodder plant; but it has the reputation of preventing fluke in sheep. 

 In fact, this plant, and some of its congeners, have been known to entirely cure 

 sheep badly afflicted with this and other Distoma diseases when kept grazing 

 for a fe\v months on these salinous plains. Such valuable drought-enduring 

 fodder-plants are well worthy of extensive conservation and even cultivation ; 

 for if things go on as they have been during recent years conservation will 

 be out of the question, because the plants are now cropped down so closely 

 that they have no chance to produce seed, which is their only natural means 

 of reproducing themselves. If nothing is done to perpetuate these valuable 

 pasture plants Australian wool will depreciate ; for it is solely on account 

 of our superior indigenous forage plants and grasses that our wools take such 

 a high place in the market. When not too closely fed down, the plant seeds 

 in abundance ; and the seeds germinate readily under ordinary conditions. 

 Figure 1 is an enlarged drawing of the fruiting perianth which is loosely 

 fibrous and spongy, with an inner and an outer membrane. 



The seeds of this plant are best sown in the early spring months, and 

 after rainfall if possible, but not whilst the ground is too wet to work. 



