378 BOTANY OF NORTH-EASTERN NEW SOUTH WALES, 



aviculare Forst., is fairly common on the rich lands, and its 

 rather large fruits are eaten under the name of "kangaroo 

 apples " The native and introduced species of Physalis produce 

 quantities of fruit, eaten when ripe or made into preserves. 

 Many species of Scrophularinece are admired for their pretty 

 flowers, especially those of Artanema, Euphrasia, and Veronica, 

 and some are esteemed for their medicinal properties. Duboisia 

 myoporoides R.Br., is popularly known as "Corkwood," and is 

 common in some of the brushes. The late Dr. Joseph Bancroft 

 discovered the medicinal value of this tree, and first used an 

 extract from its leaves in ophthalmic surgery, and I had the 

 privilege of witnessing many of the operations. When Curator 

 of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society's Gardens, Bowen 

 Park, Brisbane, I raised thousands of seedlings of Duboisia for 

 Dr. Bancroft, who made a plantation of some of them at Kelvin 

 Grove, near Brisbane, from which he gathered immense quantities 

 of the leaves for making the extract. This drug is still largely 

 used in this country and Europe. The six species of V tricularia 

 of the Lentibulariecr. are either aquatic or grow in marshes or wet 

 places. They are all most interesting plants, and two of them, 

 U. flexuosa Vahl, and U. exoleta R.Br., are carnivorous. There 

 is a white-flowering variety of TJ. cyanea R.Br., which is a very 

 pretty plant when in bloom, and fairly common in some wet 

 places near the sea. Of the Bignoniaceai there are two known 

 species and three varieties (described as species by one or two 

 authorities) of Tecoma, which occur in many places. They are 

 large climbing plants, and when in bloom make an effective 

 display as they hang in graceful festoons from the branches of 

 the trees. Acanthacece include several species of horticultural 

 interest, bearing white, yellow, purple, blue or pink flowers. 

 Eranthemum variabile R. Br., may occasionally be seen cultivated 

 in bush houses. Nine genera, thirteen species, and a few 

 varieties comprise the indigenous Verbenacem of the North-East. 

 Gmelina leichhardtii F.v. M., and Vitex lignum-vitce A. Cunn., 

 producing timber of economic value, represent the trees, and 

 species of Glerodendron the beautiful flowering shrubs of this 



