552 



canopy, is a considerable assemblage of shrubs or bushes. Of 

 the most prominent are Ftisanvs acuminatus, F . persicarius, 

 Dodonaea attenuata, D. microzyga, Hetereodendron- olei- 

 folium, Acacia Randelliana, A. colletioides, A. tefragono- 

 phylla, A. Osvmldii, A. linophylla (locally), Cassia Sf//rtii, 

 C. eremophilaj Eremophila Latrobei, E. alttrnifolia. As 

 underslirubs there occurred Olearia Miielleri, Westrin-gia 

 rigida, and Atriplex vesicarium, all, however, rather local. 

 Annuals and herbaceous plants were not at all prominent, a 

 few individuals only being noticed of Zygopfiyllum ovatitm, 

 Calandrinia volubilis, and Helipterum fiorihundum. 



While the forest of Casuarina, lepidophloia is rather 

 limited in its distribution around Ooldea, further to the east, 

 as can be seen from the railway, it commonly occupies tlie 

 sandy hollows, while mallee occurs on the ridges. 



The part where the Casiiarina trees have been cut down 

 .shows some signs of regeneration ; young trees are springing 

 up in places in some quantity. The other plants of the forest 

 have been left by the timber-getters, and in the cut areas form 

 an open scrub with many more underslirubs than occur in 

 the forest itself. Atriplex vesicarium is abundant in parts, 

 and in others Olearia Muellei'i and Cratystylis canocephala 

 form a distinct layer of undershrubs. Stipa setacea is also 

 abundant locally. Annuals, too, are more frequent here, 

 though not very prominent. Besides those of the forest there 

 were Helipterum strictwin, Helichrysum Later encella^ Angi- 

 anthus itomentosiis, Salsola hali, and Lepidiiim phJehopetahi.m. 



Ooldea Soa^k. — It will be recalled that the S6ak is a basin 

 in the sandhills, itself filled with sand that is thrown into 

 small ridges. This sand is white in colour, not red, and is 

 rather looser in texture than that in other parts. On the 

 sandhills composed of this Avhite sand in the part just 

 around the Soak certain diiferences occur in the plant popula- 

 tion; Acacia Unophylla is rather less abundant and Lepto- 

 sperrnum laevigadtum more so. Also a certain number of plants 

 grow on this white sand which were not noticed elsewhere . 

 Among these may be mentioned Grevillea stenohotrya^ Hakea 

 lencojyteray Gyrostewmv ramidosus , and Eucalypfvs 2>yfiformis. 



Tlie basin of the Soak itself has been the seat of some 

 interference owing to man's activities. For centuries this 

 has been a camping ground for aborigines, and in more recent 

 times the white man has utilized it. As a result, a consider- 

 able part of the basin is bare sand, which is liable to drift, 

 and which has only the tops of the ridges occupied by plant-s. 

 The most abundant are Leptosperm^tm laevigatnm, var. 

 minus, and Melalevca narvi flora. Other plants are not 



