a.Stait '^r^ 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



List of Illustrations v 



Introduction 1 



Phyf ical environment of the vegetation of Australia 5 



General physiographical conditions 5 



Features of the climate of Austraha 8 



Rainfall 8 



Evaporation 14 



Relative humidity 15 



Light 16 



Temperature 18 



Winds 20 



Subterranean environment 20 



Temperature, moisture, and aeration conditions of the soil 23 



Aeration of the soil 24 



Temperature of the soil 25 



Certain characteristics of the vegetation of dry regions 31 



Physical environment of the vegetation of South Austraha 35 



Physical geography 35 



Chmate 42 



Temperature 42 



Rainfall 44 



Effective rainfall 47 



Vegetation and plant habitats in vicinity of Oodnadatta 50 



Physiography 50 



Climate 55 



Rainfall 55 



Temperature 56 



General features of the flora of South Austraha 57 



The northern portion of South Australia 57 



Vegetation of the Lake Eyre basin 58 



Vegetation at Oodnadatta 58 



Vegetation of the plains 59 



Vegetation of and about the sandhills 60 



The Copley environment 64 



Physiography 64 



Chmate. . . . ." 66 



Rainfall 66 



Temperature 67 



Vegetation of the Copley region. 67 



Vegetation of the "alkali" plains 68 



Root-habits of plants of the plains 70 



Vegetation of the low hills and slopes 73 



Mono-specific communities 74 



Isolated species and mixed communities 76 



Vegetation of the washes 77 



Parasitic phanerogams 79 



Root-habits of plants of the washes 80 



Leaf -form and leaf-sizes 80 



Vegetation of southwestern South Austraha 81 



Vegetation and environment at Ooldea 81 



Physiography 81 



CUmate .* 83 



Habitats 84 



Vegetation of the NuUarbor Plain 85 



Vegetation about Ooldea 86 



Transition from the sandhills to the Nullarbor Plain 89 



Leaf-form and leaf-size 89 



III 



