8 



species, growing in tufted patches but never forming a 

 continuous carpet. Gramineae are hardly noticeable until 

 the ground becomes drier at the close of the wet season. 

 After the spring-flowering bulbous and tuberous plants 

 have died down they become a more prominent element 

 in the flora. The native perennials N eurachne alope- 

 curoides, Danthonia setacea, and Stipa semibarbata, and 

 the introduced annual Briza major, are the chief grasses. 



The herbaceous perennials (other than grasses) are divis- 

 able into two groups : the first, containing such plants as 

 Halorrhagis, Goodenia, Helichrysum, possess stout root stocks, 

 and during the dry season die down more or less completely, 

 but show no special modification ; the second and more 

 numerous group is the geophytes. The earliest of these to 

 appear is Drosera Whittakeri, which comes into leaf soon after 

 the first winter rains (May- June), and is to be found flowering 

 when the whole area is sodden. Hypoxis glabella and 

 Wurmbea dioica both flower before there is any sign of the 

 ground drying up (July- August). The majority of the species, 

 however, do not flower till September-October, by which time 

 the ground is appreciably drier, though following a period of 

 heavy precipitation it may remain sodden with a shimmer of 

 surface water for a day or two. The liliaceous Burchardia 

 umbellata is the latest geophyte to appear, and may be seen in 

 full bloom when most of the others have died down. On the bare 

 ground between the larger plants a great variety of ephemerals 

 is to be found. The complete vegetative and flowering periods 

 of these plants is limited to a, few weeks at the close of the wet 

 season. This miniature flora is a notable constituent in the 

 sclerophyllous areas of South Australia, whether on quartzite, 

 alluvial sands, or in the scrub woodland that develops upon 

 the coastal dunes. Upon the alluvial area considered, as also 

 upon the quartzite wherever there be a local accumulation of 

 water, the abundance of the Centrolepidaceae is especially 

 worthy of note. Centrolepis aristata is most frequent, often 

 dominating the ephemeral florula. Cenfrolepis sfrigosa, 

 Gyperus tenellus, and Stylidium despecta are all locally 

 abundant. The little bladderwort, Polypompholyx tenella, 

 is one of the rarer members of the flora. 



Hepaticae are general elements in this ground flora, e.g., 

 Reboulia hemispherica, and notably a species of Fossombronia. 



The following analysis of the flora is fairly complete in 

 regard to the vascular plants, though additional species of 

 orchids might still further increase the number ' of 

 geophytes : — 



Trees. 



Eucalyptus leucoxylon Eucalyptus odorata 



E. viminalis 



