194 A CONTniBTTTION TO, ETC. 



many species of the "native fuchsia" (EremopTiild), the simple 

 leaved cassige, some few species of acacia, and a host of composites 

 and salt bushes, may meet the eye of the traveller even in the 

 driest seasons ; whilst in the immediate vicinity of the river, as 

 the late Sir T. Mitchell found on more than one occasion, many 

 species of grass occur which are perennial and nutritious. 

 " Grass," remarks that eminent explorer, " is only to be found 

 on the banks of the river, and, strictly speaking, the margin only 

 can be considered alluvial, for this being irrigated and enriched by 

 the floods, it is everywhere abundantly productive of grass, 

 though none appears in the back country." And again he say^ 

 " of grasses 1 gathered seeds of twenty-five different kinds, six of 

 which grew only on the alluvial bank of the Darling. * * * 

 The country was nevertheless almost bare, and the roots, stems, 

 and seeds, the products of a former season, were blown about on 

 the soft face of the parched and naked earth, where the last 

 spring seemed, indeed, to have produced no vegetation, except a 

 thin crop of an umbelliferous weed." * These considerations 

 will throw some light on the specimens to be examined, and serve 

 to explain the anomaly of finding, even in such a season as 1805, 

 objects of an interesting character to the botanist. 



The leguminous plants collected during the expedition are the 

 following: (1.) Papilionacece : Templetoma egena , Trif/oneUa sua- 

 vissima, Lotus Australis, Psoralea patens and P. eriantha, Seslania 

 aculeata, Glycyrrkiza psoraleoides, Clianthus Danipieri, Stcainsona 

 Greyana, and S. PJ.acoides- (2.) Ccesalpincce : Cassia Slurtii, and 

 C. eremophila ; and (3.) Mimosece : Acacia sentis, and A. salicina. 

 Templetonia egena is a tall leafless shrub, very similar to some 

 species ot'JSossicea in the neighbourhood of Sydney, and TrigonelJa 

 suavissima, which is figured amongst Dr. F. Mueller's lithograms, is 

 a small annual of the Trefoil kind, with minute yellow flowers 



* Amongst the umbelliferous points of the Darling, there are three e -pec-hilly 

 mentioned by Mitchell, and one by Dr. F. Mueller ( Dimetopia cyaiwpetalu), 

 but that wh'u-h abounds in good seasons, and is much relL-hed by cattle, is a 

 species of Didiftcus, generally called "Carrot." Ihe common Portvloca, or 

 Pigweed grows luxuriantly over some plat-rs near the frontage of the r;v r. and 

 the party found it a most acceptable addition to their meals. The so-called 

 " New Zeaiand Spinach." (Titray> n' a ex-pan* a) covered the whole extent of the 

 red sand hills after the heavy autuum rains. It goes by the mime of ' War- 

 rejjal Cabbage," among the settlers, and is undoubtedly indigenous on the 

 Darling. The fruit of Solanum auriale, a plant nearly allied to the Kangaroo 

 apple, is eaten by the blacks. 



