192 FOBEST CULTUBE AND 



plants which delight to be bathed in clouds, or in the 

 dense vapors of the surrounding Fern- tree valleys, 

 are much more universal ; and that the number of 

 peculiar alpine genera is much, greater than here. 

 Thus, while in Tasmania the magnificent Evergreen 

 Beech (Fagus Cunninghami) covers many of the 

 ranges up to sub-alpine rises, it predominates as a for- 

 est-tree in Victoria only at the remotest sources of 

 the Yarra, the Latrobe, and the Goulburn rivers, and 

 on Mount Baw-Baw. To this outpost of the Austra- 

 lian Alps (now so accessible to metropolitan tourists) 

 are restricted also several plants, such as Oxalis Ma- 

 gellanica and Libert'ia Lawrencii, which are almost 

 universal on all the higher hills of Tasmania. Fagus 

 Cunninghami, though descending into our Fern- 

 tree ravineS;^ transgresses nowhere the Victorian land- 

 boundaries, but a noble fagus-forest, constituted by a 

 distinct and equally evergreen species, Fagus Moorei, 

 crowns the high ranges on which the Bellinger and 

 M'Leay rivers rise. This, however, the snowy moun- 

 tains of Tasmania and of continental Australia have 

 in common, that the majority of the alpine plants are 

 not representing genera peculiar to colder countries, 

 but exhibit hardy forms, referable to endemic Austra- 

 lian genera, or such as are allied to them. So, as al- 

 ready remarked, we possess alpine species, even of 

 Eucalyptus and of Acacia, besides of hibbertia, oxylo- 

 bium, bossisea, pultensea, eriostemon, boronia didiscus, 

 epacris, leucopogon, prostanthera, grevillea, hakea, 

 persoonia, pimelea, kunzea, baeckea, stackhousia, 

 mitrasacme, xanthosia, coprosma, velleya, prasophyl- 

 lum ; yet anemone, caltha, antennaria, gaultheria, 

 alchemilla, seseli, Oenothera, huanaca, abrotanella, 



