4 
enlightened Colonial Secretary of the West Australian dominions; Eremophila Fraseri, 
a hush of showy splendor, commemorating also now in the vegetable world the manifold 
exertions of the lion. Malcolm Fraser in connection with the Survey Department, of 
which in that Colony he is the official head; the Decazesia, an elegant everlasting, 
dedicated to the Duke Decazes, a renowned statesman, and also leading patron of 
horticulture in France, Decazesia being the only new genus discovered during the late 
surveys there ; the glorious Marie-palm (Livistona Mariae), the only palm as yet knowm 
from the West Coast of Australia, restricted there seemingly to a solitary locality, and 
now only through Mr. Forrest’s exertions for the first time accurately recognised and 
circumscribed in its characteristics, though named already at the time of the celebration 
of the marriage of Her Imperial Highness the Princess Marie of Russia and H.R.H. 
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, from material obtained in Central Australia by Mr. 
Gdes. Particularly remarkable among the plants of the Nickol Bay District is also the 
tall evergreen Recxl (Phragmites Roxburghii), which lines some of the river banks, and 
received there the designation “ Cane,” its dwarf bamboo-like feature being foreign to 
any of the West Australian vegetation further south. Strange, hoAvever, is the almost total 
absence of ferns, only Acrostichum aureum representing that otherwise large and lovely 
order among about four hundred si)ecies of plants now gradually accumulated in 
colhictions from the district, although Cheilanthes vellea and Chcilanthcs tenuifolia, 
which occur even in Central Australia, will likely be found yet. But neither geographic 
nor climatic considerations will explain this extreme scantiness of ferns, or the still 
stranger total absence of orchids there, so far as we have hitherto learned. How 
much farther north fern and orchid vegetation may commence or become enriched 
remains as yet to be ascertained ; but as one kind of fern-tree has been noticed in 
shady irrigated valleys near Camden Harbor, it may be assumed that there at least a 
greater develo])ment of these classes of plants takes place within the tropical portion of 
West Australia; and also oil this interesting subject Mr. Alexander Forrest and his 
companions, during their present expedition overland to Arnhem’s Land, are likely to 
shed light. The true Rice plant (Oryza sativa) was found by me during Mr. Aug. 
Gregory’s exploration in 1856 near the West Australian boundaries, and is likely to 
extend to near the coast tracts. Some of the grasses brought home by Mr. Forrest’s 
party from the Nickol Bay District are of excellent nutritive quality, and nearly all of 
penniuial growth ; among these several species of Panicum, Andropogon, Eriachne and 
Eragrostis constitute evidently a rich pasture vegetation. Several of the Salt bushes, 
now known to occur in the District, arc also of high value for herds and fiocks, among 
tlie species Atriplex halimoides and Krochia villosa, to both of which so much value is 
attached in Eastern Australia on pastoral runs. 
* 
There may be many other plants among those now noticed of industrial interest, 
such as Acacias for gum and tanners’ bark, Cassias (except those of the series of 
C. artemisioides) for Senna ; cordage plants, the best fibre-sedge (Cyperus vaginatus) 
being already recorded before from the District, perhaps also medicinal and dye plants ; 
but a first hurried siirvey of a country does not afford sufficient facilities for inquiries of 
this kind, which can only absorb full attention as the country becomes more fully 
settled. 
By the present systematic enumeration an exhaustive index of all the plants of 
the District is therefore by no means offered yet ; contrarily, the total of the species of 
the District hitherto derived from all collections is likely to be doubled or even tripled, 
