88 Forage Plants of Australia. 



ORDER, PROTEACE^E. 



HAKEA LEUCOPTERA, R. BE. 



" Pin Bush." 



Flora Austr., Vol. ~F, p. 515. 



A SHBTTB or small tree, growing from 12 to 16 feet high, with slender 

 twiggy branches, which are minutely hoary. The leaves are round and 

 smooth, ending in fine points, and from H to 3 inches in length. The flowers 

 small, in short racemes or clusters, and arranged on short stalks in the leaf 

 axils. At figure 1 are illustrated two fruits, which consist of hard, woody 

 capsules. Each fruit is about 1 inch long and f of an inch broad, often warty, 

 with a short conical beak and opening in two valves, as shown in the engrav- 

 ing. At figure 2 is illustrated the seed, with the wing more or less decurrent 

 along the upper margin only, as shown in the engraving. This shrub is 

 found principally in the arid interior of New South Wales, Queensland, 

 Victoria and South Australia. In some situations it is fairly plentiful, 

 but this may be accounted for by the plant producing seed freely, even 

 in a young state, and when the seeds are ripe they germinate readily 

 under ordinary conditions. Hundreds of young seedlings may occasion- 

 ally be seen springing up under established shrubs, and when from 6 inches 

 to 1 foot high, they are readily devoured by cattle and sheep. At times 

 when other feed is scarce, the older plants are browsed upon by stock. 

 The drought-enduring qualities of this plant are remarkable, for neither 

 the hot parching winds that blow periodically over the interior, nor the 

 longest " spells," of dry weather seem to have any effect upon checking 

 its growth. The plant really offers so little leaf surface to the sun that the 

 transpiration must be exceedingly small in comparison with that from trees 

 which produce broader leaves. It is content to grow on the poorest of soils, 

 for it is generally found on the dry sandy ridges of the interior, where 

 scarcely anything else could exist. Good drinking water is got from its fleshy 

 roots by travellers through the arid districts in which it grows. Sir Thomas 

 Mitchell ("Three Expeditions," pp. 196 and 199), draws attention to the native 

 way of obtaining water from roots: " How the native existed in this parched 

 country was the question. We saw that around many trees the roots had 

 been taken up, and we found them without the bark, and cut into short clubs 



or billets, but for what purpose we could not then discover I 



expressed my thirst and want of water. Looking as if they understood me, 

 they hastened to resume their work, and I discovered that they dug up the 

 roots for the sake of drinking up the sap. It appeared that they first cut 

 these roots into billets, and then stripped of the bark or rind, which they 

 sometimes chew, after which, holding up the billet, and applying one end to 

 the mouth, they let the juice drop into it." Prom some large climbing 

 vines, water can also be obtained. I myself once, when on a botanical 

 tour, suffered much from thirst, when an idea struck me that water might be 

 obtained from some large climbing plants growing near, whose heads were 

 over the tops of very large trees. I accordingly climbed up about 12 feet 

 and made a deep cut in the vine with a tomahawk. This was for the purpose 

 of letting in the air. I then came down and cut the vine in two near the 

 ground, then laid on his back, put the cut end of the vine near his mouth, 

 and got a most refreshing drink of cool water. I never suffered much 

 from thirst afterwards. 



The timber of the plant under notice is not of great dimensions, rarely 

 exceeding 6 inches in diameter. It is coarse grained and soft, takes a good 

 polish, and it is sometimes used for tobacco pipes, veneers, &c. 



