210 
SKETCH OF THE VEGETATION OF AUSTRALIA. 
enclosed nut closely resembles the Quandang 
in appearance, althougli there is no similarity 
between the trees. 
The Quandang nut {Fusamis 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 aiFording 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 jmngens), 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, Avhich 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 tributaries, of considerable interest, are 
various species of Cassia, Pultencpa, 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. Pulten(sa 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 Avith 
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. JJ. hre- 
vifolia forms a stifi" furze-like bush, with 
conical spiny leaves, and spikes of small purple 
flowers ; it occui'S on the banks of the Glenelg 
river. Dillmynia 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 {Bcecliia 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 are rich in new plants, among which 
may be mentioned B. 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 allied^species, are collected as articles 
of food by the natives of West;ern Australia. 
On and near the Grampian range Proteads 
occur in some numbers, among which the fol- 
lowing Grevilleas are new : G. Aq7fifolium 
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. alpi7ia 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 Epaci'is 
tomentosa is stated to be a much more hand- 
some plant than the well-known E. grandi- 
fiora; 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. X. cordifblium also forms a bush with 
cordate leaves, which are beautifully veined on 
the lower side, and with solitary sessile axil- 
lary flowers. Ij. riifus 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, Eriosiemon 
pungens forms a scrubby spiny bush, with 
round branches, glandular prickly leaves, and 
solitary white flowers. Phehalium hilohum 
has woolly branches, with heart-shaped holly- 
like leaves, and pretty bright red flowers. 
Correa 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 fiorihunda, is also 
abundant ; this has narrow Ijlunt leaves on its 
upright stems, which are terminated by spikes 
of white or pale yellow flowers. Of other 
