ON THE FLORA OF AUSTRALIA. 
93 
species. Every shade of green is here seen. The unfailing 
stream babbles musically below. Spanning its fern-shaded 
waters here and there are natural bridges—the huge decaying 
trunks of prostrate forest giants. These, like the Fern-tree 
trunks, are daintily draped with tender ferns and delicate mosses, 
which here grow in richest profusion. Mint-trees ( Prostanthera 
spp.) laden with their beautiful blossoms add a new aspect to 
the scene, which forms an ideal earthly paradise, and entirely 
baffles description. 
One Baobab (Adansonia Gregorii) is found in Northern, or 
more strictly in North-Western, Australia, while the Bottle-trees, 
of the genus Br achy chiton (Sterculia ), are remarkable for their 
gouty trunks. B. Delabechei, F. v. M. ( Sterculia rupestris, L.), 
the Queensland Bottle-tree, is of a most quaint appearance. B. 
acerifolius, the “ Flame-tree,” presents a gorgeous appearance 
when in full bloom. Its brilliant blossoms are borne in great 
abundance, and the flower stalks partake of the vermilion hue of 
the flowers. At the same time the effect is heightened by the 
shedding of the large and glossy leaves. Of food plants 
Australia possesses hardly any. The few edible fruits are for 
the most part remarkably insignificant. A few yield also edible 
leaves or roots, but the flora is exceptionally poor in plants 
suitable for human food. 
Timber-producing species are numerous. Many of the 
seasoned native woods possess a specific gravity greater than 
that of water, and are remarkable for durability. Medicinal 
plants are not particularly well represented, or, at any rate, their 
medicinal qualities are not known. The Eucalypts yield the 
well-known and widely used antiseptic oil; the Alstonias spp. 
yield a tonic bitter, useful as a febrifuge ; Euphorbia pilulifera 
is commonly known as the “ asthma herb,” from its use in that 
ailment; the Gentianece and many others possess valuable tonic 
properties. While there are others deserving notice, yet many 
indigenous plants enjoy a quite unearned reputation for medicinal 
or curative virtues. 
Interesting examples of insectivorous plants are included in 
the genera Nepenthes (three species), Cephalotus follicularis , 
Drcsera spp., and Utricularia, which I have fully dealt with 
in my lecture, Insect Traps, “ Geelong Naturalist,” vol. v. 
No. 4. In a superficial and rambling way I have noted a few of 
