210 
SKETCH OF THE VEGETATION OF AUSTRALIA. 
enclosed nut closely resembles the Quandang 
in appeai*ance, although there is no similarity 
between the trees. 
The Quandang nut (Fusanus acuminatus) 
is produced on a bush or small tree widely 
spread through the country, and occurring in 
Australia Felix in such abundance as almost 
to seem worthy of attention in a commercial 
point of view ; the kernels being not inferior 
to almonds, and affording the natives a large 
supply of sweet and nutritious food. In sandy 
ground on the Murray river, and also on the 
Darling, a tree occurs, generally solitary, 
which has obtained the name of the horse- 
radish tree {Gyrostemon pimgens), from the 
wood, bark, and leaves tasting strongly as that 
root. The leaves are rhomb-shaped and glau- 
cous, and the capsules are arranged in a wheel- 
like manner. In this district also occur many 
new species of Acacias, as A. sclerophylla, 
with angular branches and rigid smooth phyl- 
lodia, the heads of flowers sessile, and all 
parts of the plant perfectly smooth ; A. fari- 
nosa much resembles the last, but has narrow 
blunt sickle-shaped leaves, with mealy balls 
of flowers produced two-four together in the 
axils of the leaves. Near Mount Zero occurs 
A. strigosa, which is clothed with glandular 
hairs, with oblong narrow leaves, and bearing 
a profusion of brilliant yellow flowers. Other 
leguminous plants found near the Murray and 
its tributai"ies, of considerable interest, are 
various species of Cassia, Pidtenaa, Daviesia, 
&c. some of which are described below. Cas- 
sia heteroloba forms a beautiful shrub, with 
leaves composed of two pairs of narrow leaf- 
lets, among which are produced the brilliant 
yellow blossoms in great profusion ; these are 
succeeded by curious thin papery pods of va- 
rious shapes and sizes. Pidtenaea montana 
forms a dense hairy bush, with heart-shaped 
leaves and terminal heads of small yellow 
flowers. P. mollis forms a neat bush, with 
small narrow leaves densely covered with 
silky silvery hairs, the branches being termi- 
nated by heads of beautiful yellow and brown 
flowers. Daviesia pectinata forms a singular 
leafless bush, the side branches being green 
and flattened out into thick vertical plates, 
spiny on the edges and arranged in a spiral 
manner ; in the axils of these branches the 
heads of small flowers are produced. D. bre- 
vifolia forms a stiff furze-like bush, with 
conical spiny leaves, and spikes of small purple 
flowers ; it occurs on the banks of the Glenelg 
river. Dillwynia hispida forms a neat bush, 
with hairy heath-like leaves and spikes of 
plain yellow flowers. Of the family of Myrtle- 
blooms many species occur, of which a few of 
the most striking may be mentioned. On the 
Darling occurs a curious plant (Bceckia cras- 
sifolia) forming a low shrub, with very small 
blunt thick leaves, and solitary small white 
flowers. The range of hills named the Gram- 
pians arc rich in new plants, among which 
may be mentioned 13. alpina, a hairy bush 
with downy narrow oval leaves and handsome 
rose-coloured flowers. On the highest parts 
of these hills also occurs Eucalyptus alpina, 
with short angular rigid warted branches, oval 
oblong viscid leaves, and heads of a few flow- 
ers, produced from the axils of the leaves. 
Near Lake Bogo occurs a handsome species 
of Storksbill {Pelargonium Radeyanuvi), re- 
markable as one of the very few of its genus 
found away from the Cape of Good Hope ; it 
has a brittle thick fleshy underground stem, 
with oblong oval leaves bluntly toothed, and 
heads of from eight to ten handsome flowers 
borne on a long stalk above the leaves; the roots 
of this, or alliedjspecies, are collected as articles 
of food by the natives of Western Australia. 
On and near the Grampian range Proteads 
occur in some numbers, among which the fol- 
lowing Grevilleas are new : G. Aquifolium 
has holly-like leaves downy on the under 
side, and hairy racemes of flowers ; G. vari- 
abilis has hoary wedge-shaped lobed leaves, 
resembling those of the oak, and downy spikes 
of flowers ; G. alpina occurs as an upright 
bush, with long narrow leaves, and also as a 
dense entangled scrub, with much shorter 
leaves ; the flowers are produced in small 
spikes, and are of a brownish red colour. 
Epacrids are also common ; and Epacris 
tomentosa is stated to be a much more hand- 
some plant than the well-known E. grandi- 
flora; it has sharp oval downy leaves, and 
large curved purple flowers. Leucopogon 
glacialis forms a small bush, not exceeding a 
foot in height, with small narrow heath-like 
leaves, and terminal few-flowered heads of 
blossoms, expanding in the winter season even 
when covered with ice on the summits of these 
hills. L. cordifolium also forms a bush with 
cordate leaves, which are beautitully veined on 
the lower side, and with solitary sessile axil- 
lary flowers. L. rufus has the branches and 
under sides of the leaves covered with rusty 
down ; the latter are oval and spined at the 
point, with solitary axillary flowers of a cin- 
namon colour. Among rueworts, Eriostemon 
pungens forms a scrubby spiny bush, with 
round branches, glandular prickly leaves, and 
solitary white flowers. Phebalium bilobum 
has woolly branches, with heart-shaped holly- 
like leaves, and pretty bright red flowers. 
Correct rotundifolia has rusty villous branches, 
and small roundish rufous leaves, and bears a 
profusion of pink bell-shaped flowers. A new 
species of violet wort, Pigea floribunda, is also 
abundant ; this has narrow blunt leaves on its 
upright stems, which are terminated by spikes 
of white or pale yellow flowers. Of other 
