214 
SKETCH OF THE VEGETATION OP AUSTRALIA. 
in very large quantities together. Several 
species of wild grapes (Cissus) also occur, 
one in particular, producing a berry like a 
small black grape in size and flavour, afford- 
ing a grateful refreshment in that sultry cli- 
mate. A rattan (Calamus), cabbage palm, 
many species of fig (Finis), screw pine (Pan- 
damis), cypress pine (Callitrh), Araucaria 
excelsa (?), a Banltsia, and many Legumi- 
nosce, form prominent objects in the landscape 
in these districts. The mangroves descend 
along the coast to the south as low as the 26° 
of latitude, forming very dense jungles along 
the banks of the sluggish streams which fall 
into Shark's Bay. But on passing the 28°, a 
species of grass tree (Xanthorrhcca) makes 
its appearance, indicating the transition to the 
extra-tropical vegetation of the Swan River ; 
as is still further indicated about a degree 
lower by the appearance of southern forms of 
ZamicB, whose nuts, when thoroughly ripe and 
dry, are used as an article of food by the na- 
tives, who call them " By-yu" 
Perhaps the whole of the rest of Australia, 
singular and beautiful as its vegetation is, 
must yield to the Swan River flora the palm 
of elegance and gorgeous colouring. This 
spot, probably, has also been as well examined 
as any part of the country, and many of its 
most interesting plants have been introduced 
to this country ; but still many remain to be 
introduced, and fresh additions are made every 
day as the country is further explored. One 
of the natural features of this part of Austra- 
lia, which no doubt has an effect on this beau- 
tiful vegetation, is the almost universal pre- 
sence of water, generally within two feet of 
the surface, if not breaking out in natural 
springs. The country is generally of an open 
undulating character, the forests being com- 
posed of about three-fourths gum-trees (Eu- 
calypti). The principal rise in the country is 
the range of the Darling, rising to a height of 
two thousand feet, and composed of limestone, 
covered with evergreen woods. The large 
plants giving the peculiar aspect to the country 
are, chiefly, the grass-tree (Xanthorrhcea), 
often associated with a very large Banksia (B. 
grandis) and with Zamia spiralis, which, like 
it, often attains a height of thirty feet. Others 
are the cypress pine (Callilris), two species 
of Casuarina, and the fire-tree (Ntiytsia jlori- 
bunda), a plant attaining the height of a small 
tree, and in its season so densely covered with 
spikes of orange flowers, that the above popu- 
lar name has been bestowed on it by the colo- 
nists of King George's Sound from the appear- 
ance which it makes in the landscape. With 
these are associated an immense variety of 
bushes, many of extremely neat and graceful 
habit, and producing a profusion of the most 
splendid flowers. By far the greater propor- 
tion of the vegetation is different in species 
from the other parts of Australia, especially 
from that of the neighbourhood of Sydney. 
Of the natural order MyrtaceaB many beauti- 
ful forms are found, among which Calytrix 
aurea, with oval leaves growing in an imbri- 
cated manner, and producing heads of bright 
yellow flowers, and C. suppharina, with 
rough heath-like leaves and round heads of 
very deep violet-coloured flowers, are very 
striking. But a much finer bush is Chry- 
sorrhoe nitens, with heath-like leaves and 
spreading yellow flowers, produced in such 
profusion as to give the plant the appearance 
of being covered with gold leaf. Two or 
three species of BLedaroma, bushes of low 
growth, are so deliciously fragrant in their 
leaves and half-ripe fruit, that it is a point 
worth consideration whether they would not 
pay to collect and import into Europe for the 
use of perfumers. 
The Leguminosse are equally abundant in 
this colony, as already noticed of the other 
districts, and equally remarkable as being, in 
the species, almost all peculiar to the district. 
Wattles (Acacia) occur in plenty, and some 
of very beautiful forms. Among the Papilio- 
nacea?, or butterfly-flowers of this order, 
occur many most striking plants, as various 
Hoveas, Mirbelias, Hardenbergias, fyc, re- 
markable in many cases for the intense blue 
or purple of their flowers ; and other genera, 
as Oxylobium, Chorozema, Go?npholobkim, 
Zichya, fyc, equally gay, with flowers varying 
from pure yellow to every shade of yellow 
and crimson mixed. The Swan River colony 
appears rather bare of Rutaceous plants, an 
order very abundant on the east side of the 
continent ; but among those peculiar to the 
west coast is Dvplolcend Bampieri, a hoary 
looking spreading shrub, with oblong rusty 
leaves, and curious nodding heads of flowers 
with long protruding pink stamens. Nearly 
twenty species of Lasiopetaleas are known to 
exist here, among which Corethrostylis bract- 
eata forms a downy shrub with heart-shaped 
leaves, and bears a profusion of forked racemes 
of pink flowers growing from coloured bracts, 
and forming an elegant plant. Another is 
Sarotes ledrfulia, a stiff" growing shrub, with 
narrow leaves arranged in whorls of threes, 
and producing corymbs of large light blue 
flowers. 
Plants with composite flowers are numerous, 
and some of them are very beautiful ; none 
perhaps more so than the now common Bho- 
danthe Manglesii, with its copious heads of 
decurved delicate pink flowers on the slender 
stems. Lawrencella rosea (like the last, an 
annual) is said to be even more handsome, 
having blunt linear leaves with terminal heads 
of rosy flowers. The greater part of the order 
