Forty -eight 
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST 
March, 1953 
EXCURSIONS 
IE A TREE GULLY AND 
HERMITAGE DISTRICT . 
On August 30, 1952, the Field 
Naturalists visited Tea Tree Gully and 
Hermitage. These places are in the 
north-western area of the Mount Lofty 
Ranges. Tea Tree Gully is at the foot- 
hills and derived its name from Le.pto- 
spermum scopariurn. Apparently this 
species was prevalent where the village 
is now situated and can still he found 
growing near at hand. 
The flora growing near Tea Free Gully 
is varied and interesting. Astroloma 
conostephioideSj ( > revillea lavandulacea , 
/ libber tia strict a and H, sericea , Acacia 
armata, Dodonaea viscosa , Pultenaea 
daphnoides and Leucopogon virgatus are 
some of the species to be seen growing 
in profusion. Eucalyptus leucoxylon is 
the dominant tree along the foothills 
and, in many cases, is the host to Loran- 
l litis. Some trees have succumbed com- 
pletely to the “mistletoe”. After leaving 
Tea Tree Gully and travelling cast to the 
Lop of the hills the vegetation shows a 
marked change, the dominant tree being 
the hybrid box Eucalyptus elaeophora 
in association with Eucalyptus fasciculosa 
(pink gum), known to the local people 
erroniously as the ‘‘scrub gum". 
Eucalyptus elaeophora is also mis- 
takenly called the “peppermint" gum by 
most people living in this area. This 
species has the glaucous coppice shoots 
which are often sold as “peppermint gum 
suckers". Professor J. G. Wood, in the 
“Vegetation of South Australia" mentions 
Eucalyptus elaeophora particularly. He 
says “large forests of this species, in asso- 
ciation with Eucalyptus obliqua , are grow- 
ing between Mount Crawford and the 
Torrens Gorge”! 
From the top of the range east of Tea 
Tree Gullv the road goes north-east past 
the Glen Ewin fruit preserving and jam 
factory to the Hermitage. The party of 
Field Naturalists went as far as the Little 
Para Cheek which thereabouts is travel- 
ling north. This turns west a little fur 
ther on and runs on through the hills 
to Salisbury emptying* into the sea near 
the Bolivar on the Fort WakcfiTd Road. 
Looking north from the Hermitage 
there is a view of the Eucalyptus obliqua | 
(Stringy bark) forest which comprises 
Humbug Scrub. It is particularly notice- 
able that the Stringybark never grows 
west of the Tattle Para although Eucalyp- 
tus elaeophora is abundant on both sides 
of the creek. Professor Wood states “It 
is apparent some hybridization between 
Eucalyptus elaeophora and E. obliqua has 
taken place”. This, of course, would 
mean east of the Little Para. West of 
this creek it would appear that some 
hy bridization has taken place between E. 
fasciculosa and E. elaeophora. 
The Little Para has its source at Para 
combe about two miles north of the 
Torrens Gorge and four or five miles from 
the Hermitage. Both Blue Gum, Euca- 
lyptus leucoxylon and Red Gum, E. 
ca i naldul crisis grow near the creek and 
occasionally an Acacia melanoxylon is 
noticed. 
This locality, rich in flora, is well 
worth investigation anti study. 
C. Tilmouth. 
“SEA ACRES," CORNY POINT, 
December, 1952. 
I he Field Naturalists held their camp 
for the second time at “Sea Acres”, near 
Corny Point, from Xmas Day to New 
Year’s Day. 
During these seven days, nature lovers 
had a most enjoyable and profitable time 
cither roaming the surrounding scrub or 
the long white beach, and on three 
occasions when bus trips were taken to 
other parts of the coast. 
Both shell-collectors and botanists 
found plenty to interest them. Although 
most shells were of the same species as 
those seen on our local beaches, it was 
a great delight that such vast quantities 
could be had, merely for the gathering. 
Among the favourites found were the 
cowries, the small cowry Notocyprea 
piperita , being plentiful, but the dis- 
covery of a black cowry, Zoila theresites, 
or a helmet shell. Hypocctssis bicarinata. 
would be the day’s news throughout the 
camp. 
The botanist found many specimens in 
the surrounding scrub, in which Casua- 
rina and Melaleuca were dominant. Hun- 
dreds of trees of Melaleuca pubescens 
were decorated with large patches of the 
scarlet flowering mistletoe, Loranthus 
preissii. Four species of Acacia were 
abundantly represented, Acacia brachy- 
botrya , A. euthycarpa, A. Bynoeana, and 
A. sophorae. Among the composites were 
hi elichrysuni Baxteri, H. leucopsidium , H. 
apiculat uvi ; Podolepsis rugata (a golden 
