204 



capacity and. high salt toleration, tends to maintain a shrub- 

 land as opposed to an open community of tussock grass and 

 annuals. 



Flora. — Considering the interest of the fauna, it is rather 

 remarkable that the flora should be so limited and without 

 any peculiar species. A complete list of the flowering plants 

 collected is given below. It numbers only 34 species, though 

 owing to the season the annuals are probably incomplete. Tlie 

 list includes eight grasses, six composites, and five Cheno- 

 podiaceae. The complete absence of Leguminosae and 

 Myrtaceae is surprising. The neighbouring coast has Acacia 

 spp. on the dunes and mallees (Eucalyptus spp.) and Mela- 

 leuca ijarviflora on the consolidated sands. It is said that these 

 plants occur on some of the neighbouring islands, which are 

 larger. The present flora of the Franklins is probably vestigial, 

 but there is no evidence that it included more Phanaerophytes 

 in recent times. 



Considering the flora in regard to the growth-forms, it 

 will be noticed that there are five species of shrubs (14%), 

 13 species of undershrubs or perennial herbaceous plants 

 (38%) — all chamaephytes — 16 species of annuals (45%). Dis- 

 regarding the percentages, which are probably misleading 

 owing to the very small total number of species, and incom- 

 pleteness of the annual (therophyte) flora, it will be seen that 

 there are no Phanaerophytes other than Nanophanaerophytes, 

 and that the whole classes of Hemicryptophytes and Crypto- 

 phytes are absent. Tliis indicates the severity of the environ- 

 mental factors, especially wind, as regards the absence of the 

 first, and edaphic conditions (unstable soil) as regards the last 

 two groups. The aridity of the environment is indicated by 

 the relatively large number of annuals (Therophytes), which 

 is almost certainly understated in the list. 



Appendix. * 



The following is a complete list of the plants observed or 

 collected. I am indebted to Mr. J. M. Black, who has kindly 

 assisted in determining some of the species : — 



N. = Nanophanaerophyte ; Ch. — Chamaephyte ; 

 Th.=: Therophyte. 



Spinifex hirsutus, La bill. Ch. 

 Stipa tereti folia, Steud. Ch. 

 Sporoholus virginicus, Kunth. Ch. 

 Calamagrostis ■filiformis, (Forst) Pilger. Th. 

 Danthonia penicillata, (Labill.) F. v. M. Ch. 

 Danthonia setacea, K. Br. Th. 

 Bromus arenarius, Labill. Th. 



