Notes on the Vegetation of the North-Kastern Ooldfields. 
121 
di'y periofls these die back to tlieir woolly rlii/o^nos and become dormant so 
that the prround is bare between the shrubs. Less important ^jrassos are 
Danthonia blpdrtlta^ Nenrachne MitchelUanay Aristidd aretutria and Ermeapogon 
caerulescens. None of these latter grasses is restricted to any particular assoc- 
iation but they all prefer the deeper soils. (See Transects TT., VIII., XI.) 
During the August visit the poverty hushes had formtHl new growth and 
there was a number of young seedlings. The bogada had freshened up and 
some was in flower. The epheaneral g^’owth ^\'as very poor compared with that 
on the loamy flats. The following annuals wtu'e collected however : — Stenopeta- 
him pedicellare, S. robustum, Farietaria dehllis, HalorrJtngis odontoearpa, Velleia 
rosea, T’. cifcnopotarnica, Podolepis pallida, Cedotis midticmdis and C. hispidula. 
There was also a fair amount of Erodiuai cygnonim. 
If the VVandanle country be exc(^pt(Hl, the flood plain formation may be 
regarded as lying between the Hills ScTub an<l the Shrub Step])o. 
(2) Hills Scrub. 
On Glenom the vegetation of the higher ground is closely r(>latod to the 
soil and country rock and may be subdivided as follows : — 
(a) On greenstone outcrops and the n^sidual hills from the pre-existing 
plateau there is .a poor Acacia scrnb {Acacia Burkltd va‘.) which, <!specially 
on the liigher ground is mixtul with Cassia Starlil, Cassia desolafa and Bracht/- 
chiton Gregoril (kurrajong). The surface consists of boulders of varying size 
from small pebbles to roimded stones weighing several pounds. The ephemeral 
growth is poor and most of the species are tlio same as those on the flats. 
(b) Quartz outcrops, i.e. quartz “ blows,” carry x'arious species of Cassia, 
C, erc'fnopbila, being the most important. Ereaiophila scoparia, E. Fantonii, 
E. oppositijolia and E. Oldjleldii va ■. angitsfijolla also occur. These are all 
tall species 4-7 feet high. Trees are. rHn\ Acada cuteura being absent, but 
there are occasional specimens of myall (Acacia sp.) and needle bush (Hakea ? 
reciirva). Low shrubs include bluebush (Kochia sed-ifoUa). sagobush (K. pyra- 
nddata) and sage (Cratysfylis conocepitala). (S(;o Transects XII., XIV.) 
(c) Ironstone ridges carry a poor growtii of laiilga an<l pi-actically nothing 
else. The mulga trees, tliough about normal in heiglit, cany a v(>iy low pro- 
portion of leaves to twigs. Henctr there is little top feed ” available for the 
sheep. Other trees, of which occasional specimens were soon, an^ kurrajong 
and sheoak (Casuarhia sp.). There arc few shrubs though poverty bush, 
bluebush and sagobnsh were scon. There was practically no e])li(!meral 
growth in this country in August. 
(3) yShrub Steppe. 
This country is locally Imowu as “ lake ” country. Providujg the rain 
has been sufliciently heavy the water draining from the higher ridges across 
the flats ultimately readies the so-called lakes. A portion of Lake Raesido 
extends across the south-western corner of the Glenorn property. The lake 
consists of loamy flats which may, after good rains, hold shallow pools of water 
from a few inches to a couple- of feet in depth. Mure fretpiently tlu' water is 
insuflicient to form surface pools. The soil from a dry flat was found to contain 
1 ‘ 33*^0 NaCd. Loose sand, which sparkles with salt crystals, covtts tJie surface 
in some places and carries a sparse population of samphire. Outside tliis cen- 
tral area is a zone of very thick samphire (Artla'ocnenmm sp.) 1-2 feet liigh. 
All the samphire is valueless from a ])astoral point of view. It was not in 
