76 NATIVE FLOWERS OF VICTORIA. 
are common throughout the southern and eastern 
portions of Victoria, but the flowers are not of excep- 
tional merit. 
The New South Wales Waratah is well known, but 
the Victorian species is not so familiar. This is 
known as Telopea oreades and occurs in East Gipps- 
land only. There it grows to the height of twenty 
feet or more, forming a fine spreading tree. In the 
springtime the trees are covered with masses of bright 
red flowers, and it is a fine sight to look down from 
the hillsides upon a group of Waratah trees in full 
bloom growing along the creek banks. The flower, 
although conspicuous, is much smaller than that of 
New South Wales species, which grows on a low, 
shrubby bush. 
The genus Persoonia possesses some very decora- 
tive shrubs, all with yellow flowers, the majority 
occurring in the East and North-east. The fruits are 
usually carried in clusters, green in colour, and fairly 
succulent and sweet. There are about a dozen species 
native to Victoria, aU reproducing readily from seed. 
The Persoonias are aU attractive plants, with good 
dark green foliage, some being slightly spinescent, 
especially Persoonia juniperina. The two species 
arborea and linearis, are perhaps the most attractive 
of aU ; the former with fine large foliage and flowers, 
and the latter with narrow leaves. 
The Hakeas also belong to this family. There are 
about one hundred species altogether, the majority 
of which, like the Banksias, are to be found in West 
Australia. The Western species, too, are the more 
decorative. Hakea saligna and Hakea eriantha are 
