1 20 A US TRALIAN B TANY. 



pally applied to the genus Cbamaerops, but occasionally to 

 Corypha [Livistona). Pp. 25, 90. The latter has already 

 been mentioned under the head of Cabbage Palm. The 

 Chamserops is found farther north than any other member 

 of the Palm family. It comprises about a dozen kinds. 

 The Hemp Palm {Chamarops excelsa), one of the finest of its 

 tribe, succeeds well in Victoria. 



Fennel.— FGENICULUM VULGARE. (Natural Order, 

 Umbellifer/e.) Pp. 38, 187. — Native of temperate Europe 

 and Western Asia ; a tall rank-growing perennial, the stems 

 rising to about 6 feet in height. It grows wild around 

 Melbourne, having escaped from cultivation. Besides its 

 medicinal properties, it is used for culinary purposes. 



Fieldia. — (Natural Order, Gesnerace.e.) See chapter 

 ' Australian Vegetation,' p. 80. 



Fig. — FICUS. (Natural Order, Urtice/E.) Pp. 

 17, 2S, 89, 185. — The history of the Fig dates from the 

 earliest period. Besides the cultivated Fig {Ficus carina), 

 which is a deciduous tree, there are nearly 600 species, 

 many of them evergreens. Such are the Moreton Bay Fig 

 {Ficus macrophylla). so well known in the gardens of Aus- 

 tralia by its noble appearance and dark glossy leaves ; the 

 Banyan Tree {Ficus iudica), India-rubber Tree {Ficus elaslica), 

 and many others. Of the Australian species, the most 

 remarkable for their huge size are Ficus macrophylla and 

 Ficus Cunninghamii. The roots of these two species extend 

 for a considerable distance along the surface of the ground, 

 forming abutments large enough to conceal twenty or thirty 

 persons when standing erect. 1 The girth of some of these 



1 The frontispiece to this work represents one of these giants of the 

 forest, sketched from the living specimen by the writer, at Cudgen, 



