TYPES OF FOREST. 245 



the gulf of St. Vincent, 1,000 to 2,000 feet in elevation, with a 

 rainfall of 20 to 35 inches and some fine merchantable timber, 

 but the bulk of the land has passed into private hands ; principal 

 species are E. obliqua, rostrata, leucoxylon and fasciculosa. The 

 soil is mainly light, overlying clay. 



Another area of fair forest country is found in the Flinders 

 Range situated to the east of the Gulf of Spencer with a rainfall 

 of 21 to 30 inches. The soil here is sandy, or a good clay-loam 

 at an elevation of 1,000 to 3,000 feet. The chief species are 

 E. hemiphloia, leucoxylon, rostrata and corynocalyx. There are 

 some other ranges here and there rising to 500 and perhaps 

 1,000 feet, which generally produce Casuarina quadrivalvis, 

 E. odorata and leucoxylon. Between these ranges wide plains 

 occur frequently overlying limestone, with an uncertain rainfall of 

 perhaps 12 inches, and with a growth of dwarf Eucalypts or 

 " mallee " attaining a height of 10 to 20 feet. 



In the south-east of the State appear wide stretches of sandy 

 country overlying dolomite limestone at a slight elevation, on 

 which E. cajpitellata is found, and in damper parts, E. rostrata. 



2. Types of Forest. 



The dominating type of forest growth in South Australia is that 

 of the Eucalyptus genus, the principal species of which have been 

 indicated above. They appear only as real timber trees where the 

 rainfall is ample for timber production. Where the rainfall is 

 small and the climate fairly arid, the extent of such country being 

 very great, only " mallee " scrub is found, consisting of dwarf 

 Eucalypts. 



Casuarina quadrivalvis, Lehmannii, lepidophloia and glauca 

 usually appear as an under-forest amongst the larger timbers, as 

 well as in pure masses in the more arid parts of the State. Various 

 wattles, such as Acacia pycnantha, decurrens, retinodes and 

 Melanoxylon usually grow under the bigger forest trees, but some 

 species, as the " Mulga " {A. aneura), A. sentis and cambagei, form 

 pure stretches in the dry interior. 



Callitris robusta and propinqua are sometimes found mixed 

 with larger trees as underwood, but also in pure patches in the 

 drier parts of the State. 



