BY W. F. BLAKELT. ZUO 



Range. — This plant is so far confined to a small area on the Blue Mountains, 

 as the following localities will show, but it is less common now than formerly 

 owing to the rapidly increasing population. 



Mueller (Report Burdekin Expedition, p. 12) mentions' that it is "said to 

 be found also on the north-western tributaries of the Darling." I have been 

 unable to confirm this statement. 



Springwood (H. Deane), Woodford (J. H. Maiden), Linden (J. H. Maiden 

 and K. H. Cambage. Mr. Maiden informed me that he had often seen this plant 

 in open forest), Lawson (Reader, A. A. Plamilton), Wentworth Falls (H. Deane), 

 "On the side of the road to Mt. Wilson about IJ miles from Bell Railway 

 Station" (A. A. Hamilton, These Proceedings, xxxix., 1915, 409), about 100 

 yards west of the second danger post on the Mt. Wilson road (W. F. Blakely), 

 Mount Wilson (J. Greg-son, J. H. Maiden, A. G. Hamilton, These Proceedings, 

 xxiv., 1889, 359), Mt. Tomah ["I was pleased also to meet at Mt. Tomah, with 

 a plant which you probably ha.ve in your herbarium, under the name of Loran- 

 thus, but it is teiTestrial and although I unfortunately neglected to put specimens 

 of its flowers into spirits as I should have done, stilL I trust those I send will 

 sufiice to determine the question, whether or not it should form with L. floribun- 

 dus of La Billardiere the genus Nuytsia of Robert Brown. We brought home a 

 growing specimen with us, which appears likely to succeed in the Botanic Gai'- 

 dens (Sydney)." R. Cunningham in a letter to the Editor, Botanical Magazine, 

 Jan. 25th, 1835, vide Companion to Botanical Magazine, 1836, p. 218.], Mt. 

 Tomah and Wheeny Creek (W. Woolls and L. Atkinson, quoted by Mueller in 

 Fragm., v., 34. Probably the type locality). About 2^ miles north-east of Mar- 

 rangaroo Railway Station (Flowers light to dark orange colour; the most wes- 

 terly locality. Dr. E. C. Chisholm and W. F. Blakely). 



There is also a specimen in the National Herbarium, collected by Dr. Leich- 

 faardt without locality. 



Is Gaiadendron ligustrina root parasitic'] 



The late Mr. E. Betche investigated the supposed root parasitism of this 

 plant, and collected a number of the roots which he preserved in alcohol. The 

 Museum Register in the National Herbarium, Sydney, contains the following 

 record relating to the roots, which is in Mr. Betche's handwriting: "In about 

 1890, I was sent by Mr. Moore to get specimens of the roots for Baron von 

 Mueller, and to report whether it is a parasite or not. I collected the roots of 

 (Atkinsonia) Gaiadendron in aU sizes, the thick roots, the small fibre roots, and 

 the saprophytic roots growing upwards into the humus." 



Mr. Betche's report is not available but, judging from the record just quoted, 

 his investigation gave a negative result. I examined these roots carefully and 

 found the roots of a Myrtaceous plant amongst them, also the roots of another 

 unknown plant. On making this discovery I decided to examine the plant in 

 the field. Eventually I investigated several plants on the Mt. Wilson Road, and 

 failed to find the slightest sign of parasitism, although the opportunity for such 

 was very favourable. The plants were gTOwing at the base of two trees of 

 Eucalyptus Sieberiana, with which the roots of Boronia microphylla, Eriostemon 

 obovalis and Xantfwsia pilosa commingled. The soil consisted of fairly deep 

 yellow sand with a little surface humus. The largest and apparently the oldest 

 plant was growing between the two Eucalypts, its roots had grown across those 

 of the Eucalypt, and some were also parallel with the roots of the latter, but no 

 trace of parasitism was noticeable. 



