In the National Park, Belair, there is an alluvial flat 

 about half a mile long and some 300 yards across, bounded on 

 either side by a small creek, on the further banks of which the 

 land rises steeply. The surface soil is a cold grey sandy loam 

 formed by decomposition of quartzite rocks of Cambrian Age. 

 The subsoil as exposed by the creek banks is somewhat gravelly, 

 owing to the presence of waterworn stones. The drainage of 

 the flat, however, is insufficient, for the run-off is very slight, 

 and since the area lies in a trough a quantity of water reaches 

 it by soakage. In spite of the sandy nature of the soil there 

 is sufficient silt to prevent rapid percolation of the water, so 

 that frequently, following heavy downpours during the rainy 

 months, there is a shimmer of surface water over the area. 

 During the summer both creeks cease running, and the alluvial 

 area becomes very dry, the soil baking hard at the surface. 



There are thus two sharply-defined seasons, neither suit- 

 able to the growth of herbaceous plants : the summer when 

 the soil is too dry, and the winter when it is sodden and cold. 

 The active vegetative period for most plants is thus limited to 

 the conclusion of the wet season, when in addition to a rise in 

 the average temperature the ground is reasonably dry for 

 days together. On an average, August to October inclusive 

 may be taken as the chief period of vegetative activity for 

 most flowering plants. During the early part of the wet 

 season (May- July) except for Drosera Whittakeri there are 

 few flowering plants to be seen. There is, however, a con- 

 siderable growth of cryptogams (hepatics, mosses, and algae). 

 Both Isoetes and Phylloglossum appear early in the season. 

 They were just visible on May 28 this year (1918), and had 

 not died down till early in November, 1917. They thus have 

 a much longer vegetative period than most of the herbaceous 

 seed plants. 



There are occasional trees of Eucalyptus leucoxylon (blue 

 gum) and E. viminalis (manna gum), ranging up to about 

 18 m. in height, also E. odorata (peppermint), which in this 

 situation often shows a coppice or mallee habit and does not 

 exceed about 5 m. Acacia pycnantha (golden wattle) forms 

 the main underwood, but is infrequent. Scattered bushes of 

 Leptospermum scoparium are frequent. , 



Of the undershrubs Hibhertia stricta (30 cm.) is the most 

 common. A variety of other undershrubs occur, but only 

 as occasional bushes. Upon the surrounding slopes shrubs 

 to a great extent replace the herbaceous plants to be described 

 below. The alluvial flat flora there gives place to the 

 sclerophyllous scrub or woodland typical of the area. 



The swampy nature of the soil is indicated by the 

 sedge, Schoenus apogon, which is the dominant ground 



