THE EIVEB CABLING. 197 



Forde's list. For these facts, as well as for the determination of 

 some of the difficult species, I am indebted to the kindness of 

 my distinguished friend, Dr. F. Mueller. To the general observer, 

 most of these composites present very little interest, and, perhaps, 

 a few of them are looked upon as troublesome weeds ; but, re- 

 garded in a scientific point of view, they throw much light on the 

 character of the soil where they abound, and also demonstrate 

 their peculiar adaptation to seasons of unusual aridity. 



Of the Mallow family I hare the following species: Gos- 

 sypium Sturtii, Hibiscus Sturtii, Sida petroplula, Lavatera plebeia, 

 and Abutilon otocarpum. The first of these, which is called 

 " Sturt's Desert Kose," is an ornamental shrub of several feet in 

 height, with large showy purple flowers, dark in the centre, and 

 worthy of cultivation. It is nearly allied to the cotton of com- 

 merce, but the seeds are only sparingly and shortly woolly. The 

 native cotton in Northern Australia belongs to another genus 

 (Fugosia), and has seeds more woolly than those of Sturts' Desert 

 Rose. Amongst Mrs. Forde's specimens were some seeds of the 

 " South Australian Cotton" ( F. Jialcecefolia). Mitchell found this, 

 or an allied species, (Tropical Australis, p. 64), and Dr. Mueller 

 also noticed it near Lake Torrens in 1851. Gossypium Sturtii 

 occurs as far south as the Barrier range. Hibiscus Sturtii is a 

 more rigid shrub, covered with whitish tomentum. The leaves 

 are broadly ovate, thick, and soft, and the flowers much smaller 

 than in the preceding species, varying in colour from white to 

 pink. Sidapttrophila resembles, in some respects, the little S. 

 corrugata, which belongs to this part of the colony as well as to the 

 interior, but instead of being a small prostrate plant, it is a shrub 

 three or four feet high. Lavatera plebeia is a shrubby plant, 

 attaining sometimes the height of ten feet. The flowers are of a 

 pale rose colour or whitish. According to Dr. F. Mueller, this 

 pliint can be used medicinally, and is eligible for the manufacture 

 of paper. Abutilon otocarpum is similar in character to S. petro- 

 phila, and prevails in barren places. The flowers, however, are 

 somewhat larger, and the petals ciliated towards the base. 



The CruciferoB are represented by Blennodia lasiocarpa and 

 Nasturtium palustre ; the latter, which grows on the banks of the 

 Nepean, is sometimes called " Native Cabbage ;" and of the Zygo- 

 phyllea, Nitraria Schoberi, ZygopJiyllum Billardieri, and Tribulus 



