589 



The Plain and Sandhills. 



There is not much change in the gerieral aspect of the 

 flora where the Nullarbor Plain joins the sandhill region. 

 Just before leaving the "Plain" the ''dead finish" (Acacia 

 te.tragono'phylla) becomes more plentiful, but it was seldoni 

 seen in the sandhill country. The following plants were noted 

 just west of the sandhills and were common to both types of 

 country: — Goodenia pinnatifi.da., Ceflialijyterum Drnm- 

 mondii, Calotis hispid^da, Kochia sedifolia, Stipa scahra, var. 

 auricv.lata. There is very little overlapping of the plants of 

 the two regions. 



IV. The Sandhills Flora. 



1. OOLDEA DISTRICT. 



The sandhills' flora is of a typical sclerophylloue nature, 

 and here again the formation is of an open character. 



Tree.'i. — The trees and larger shrubs usually have reduced 

 leaf surfaces. In the case of CasKarina lepidophloia the leaves 

 are represented by very small sheathing teeth, and the branch- 

 lets are only 1 mm. in width. Myofomm plat y car pum was 

 sparingly distributed, and much less so was Heferodendron 

 oleae folium, both of which have flat leaves. The latter was 

 usually found with Acacia ramjdom in the flats between the 

 sand ridges. Tlie mallees were not so plentiful as the wattles, 

 and two of the broad-leaved Eucalypts were E. oleosa and 

 E. tramscontinentalis (pi. xxxix,, fig. 2), which formed the 

 bulk of the mallees. E . pyriformis seemed confined to a small 

 patch at Ooldea Soak. Among other mallees were E. 

 un-cinata and E. gracdis, forming large shrubs and growing 

 interspersed with Acacia, ramulosa. The quandono- (Eusanai^ 

 acnminatiis ) was not common and seemed to prefer the sand 

 ridges. 



Shriihs. — Tlie phyllodes of some of the acacias were nar- 

 row and hard, such as A. tetragonophylla, A. colletioides, A. 

 ramulosa, and A. .aneura, the last two being more plentiful; 

 while A. Randelliana and A. Burhittii were not seen to any 

 extent. Of those with broader phyllodes A. Kempeana, A. 

 Osswaldvi, and A. . ligulata were fairly numerous. Other 

 shrubs were Erewophila alt erni folia, which was seen in fair 

 numbers and often associated with Casvarina lepidophloia ; 

 Eremophila Latrohei and its variety Tiefkensii were the next 

 most plentiful, hut'E. Qibsoim was rare. Two grevilleas (G. 

 pterosperma and G. stenohotrya) were usually seen growing 

 on the flat ground, but of infrequent occurrence. The para- 

 sites, Loran\thus linophyllus and L. pendidus, were somewhat 

 rare, the former growing on H eterodend ron oleaefolivm and 

 the latter on Encalyptvs franscontinewtalis. Rhagodda 



