AUSTRALIAN HONEY PLANTS 



235 



through. On account of the thorns — slightly poisonous — 

 it is one of the hardest plants from which to hive a 

 clustered swarm of bees. 



Bugloss (Vipers). See "Pater son's Curse." This 

 is the Blue "thistle" mentioned by American apicultural 

 writers. 



Briar (Sweet), {Rosa rubiginosa, L). This is also a 

 proclaimed plant in some States, but it has spread con- 

 siderably and yields pale yellow pollen during late spring 

 and early summer; Swiss bee-keepers think it a good 

 bee-plant. 



Busaria or Prickly Box, 

 {Busaria spinosa). Fre- 

 quents the high ground 

 along creeks and river- 

 banks. A rather straggly 

 habit of growth, but the 

 great masses of cream 

 tiny flowers bear tawny 

 pollen about Christmas 

 and the honey-scented 

 odour is very fragrant. 



Bush Flowers. The Bush-pea (PuUenaea), Parrot- 

 pea (Dillwynia) and the Flat-pea (Platylobium) together 

 with the Bossiaea all have some exquisite flowering 

 species very suitable for garden culture, and all help to 

 make the Australasian bush one blaze of floral colour in 

 springtime. The poet who described the bush as ' ' sombre- 

 clad" had surely never witnessed the "Narrow-leaved 

 Bitter-pea" in bloom — hundreds of acres clothed in 

 nodding golden-red blossom. The foliage, a delicate tint 

 of grayish green, and the long flower racemes (4 or 5 

 feet in length) present a very gorgeous appearance 

 during October. The lovely flowering shrubs of our bush 

 are almost unknown to the dweller in the smoke-laden 

 cities of the coast. 



Carob-Bean, (Ceratonia siliqua). Some few trees are 

 to be found in Australasia, but not sufficient to yield 



Busaria. 



