54 A NATURALIST IN TASMANIA ch, 



fine show at some distance, but are poor when 

 closely inspected. Rather distantly related to the 

 Grass-trees, and growing in great profusion in the 

 sub-Alpine zone, are a number of species of Heaths, 

 belonging to the genera Epacris, Podocarpa, &c. 

 These Heaths (Epacridaceae) take the place in the 

 southern hemisphere which is occupied by the 

 Ericaceae in the northern, but they branch out 

 into a much greater variety of forms, both in the 

 manner of growing and in the structure of the 

 flower. Some of the species grow into quite 

 large shrubs, some have exceedingly long and 

 graceful bells if we compare them with our own 

 Heather, and in the middle of summer they bear 

 the most beautiful large berries which may vary 

 from white to magenta, red, or puce in colour. 



At the risk of being tedious, one other group 

 of shrubs found under sub-Alpine conditions 

 on Mount Wellington must be mentioned, be- 

 longing to the natural order of the Proteaceae, 

 which is so characteristic of the flora of Australia 

 and the southern hemisphere. The Waratah 

 (Telopea truncata) (Fig. 15) is a small tree or 

 shrub, sometimes attaining twenty feet in height, 

 and bearing the most beautiful scarlet flowers 

 which are so much prized by the colonists for 

 decoration that the tree is becoming scarce in 

 the frequented parts of Mount Wellington. The 

 flowers are arranged in a gracefully clustered 

 head, and each separate flower consists of a 

 curved style, which, before the flower is ripe, is 



