17(> E. C. Andrews — The Geological History of the 



lions of cosmopolitan tropical genera are here also to be found, 

 but so modified as to present an appearance very different to 

 their tropical or sub-tropical relations. Examples are the 

 phyllodineous acacias, Phyllanthus, and a section of Cassia. 

 From County Cumberland, which has an area of about 1,500 

 square miles surrounding Sydney, there have been recorded 

 more species of Yasculares than from New Zealand or the 

 whole of the British Isles. And the district of Perth in West 

 Australia is perhaps even more remarkable in this respect. 



In the Sydney district, the name being used in the larger 

 sense, there are sheltered areas or pockets of volcanic soil or 

 shales, on which dense luxuriant plant growths abound form- 

 ing canopies of dark and glossy green, which exclude a great 

 proportion of the sun's rays. Surrounding these patches of 

 rich soil are the hungry sandstones forming so much of the 

 large Sydney and Blue Mountain district, whose vegetation 

 is in striking contrast with that of the rich soils. Here is to 

 be seen no luxuriant foliage, no twining nor towering canopy 

 to the jungle, but instead merely an array of Eucalyptus, 

 phyllodineous acacias, banksias of somber hue and casuarinas, 

 pine-like in appearance — with all the vivid green dissolved 

 out of the leaves — to all appearance a type of vegetation 

 ancient, dilapidated, rusty and weather beaten, some of whose 

 members indeed are little better than skeletons. Whole areas 

 of heath-like growths occur in the open places with leaves 

 terete, cylindrical, involute, revolute, linear, acicular, or pun- 

 gent. The most skilful paleobotanist would fail here to dis- 

 cover the "Open Sesame" to the generic classification of the 

 types in the absence of flowers and fruits, for in these acicular 

 and linear types of leaves there is no venation to be seen: 

 there is little to distinguish them from each other. Many 

 "traps for beginners" are to be found in the study of this sand- 

 stone flora and yet, despite their appearance of pauperism, 

 they are all the "children of a great king," their noble ancestry 

 being apparent directly the keen winter winds have gone, and 

 the warmth of returning spring unfolds their beautiful and 

 brilliant blooms. Here both upon shrubs and undershrubs 

 with acicular, terete, involute, or revolute leaves, various 

 brilliant pea blossoms proclaim the glows and glories of the 

 legumes (Pultencea, Dillwynia, Aotus,\n the tribe Podalyriese) . 

 Alongside these golden bushes another type with linear leaves 

 bears myrtle blooms (Bceckea). 



Other shrubs, undershrubs, or small trees with circular, pine- 

 like, or linear leaves, and associated with the xerophytic 





