ATJSTEALIAN HONEY PLANTS 269 



sweet material, the "Manna" of pharmacy, is produced 

 by the leaves and stems of a species of Ash, "Fraxinus 

 ornus"; and honey-secreting glands are to he met with 

 on the leaves, petioles, phyllodes, stipules or bractese 

 of a considerable number of different vegetable forms. 



In early spring Almonds are the advance guard. 

 Cherry plums soon follow, then for a few weeks there are 

 the Cherry trees, Grooseberries, Currants and Easp- 

 berries ; these last are grown in considerable areas in the 

 "cool districts." Apricots, Pears, Apples, Plums. 

 Walnuts, Peaches, Lemons, and Oranges (which see) all 

 help to create a surplus store of delicious pale honey. 



Flax Lily, {Phormium tenax). A native of New 

 Zealand. During the flowering period — early summer in 

 Victoria — long stems up to six feet in length bearing 

 flowers at regular intervals shoot up above the foliage. 

 The corolla or "tube" of the flower is too confined for 

 bees to enter, but it is an interesting sight to see the 

 insects insert their tongues — into the corolla where the 

 petals overlap each other — and drain the nectar. When 

 the roots of the Flax reach running water the flowers are 

 extremely nectariferous. The author has seen as much 

 as half a teaspoonful in the corolla of a single flower. The 

 Victorian Government once planted a river flat with Flax, 

 but it was a failure. The nectar is beautifully clear and 

 limpid. 



Golden Spray, {Viminaria denudata). A handsome 

 flowering plant, a native of Australia. Well worthy of 

 cultivation in the garden for its beauty and is also a good 

 bee-plant. 



Golden Pennants, {Loudonia Behrii). An attractive 

 honey plant of the Victorian Mallee. 



Garden Flowers. To the extensive bee-farmer the 

 beautiful flower gardens of the cities are of no use. They 

 probably help the town dweller's one or two hives to 

 gather a little surplus. The "double" flowers, while very 

 pretty, yield no honey since there is no seed to fertilise; 

 for it must be understood that the flowers secrete nectar 

 only as an inducement to insects to visit them, and thus 



