40 
shrubs were higher and of better growth. Then the 
shrubs themselves became dwarfed, except in sheltered 
hollows ; and, finally, at 5500 feet, we emerged from the 
timbered laud, and saw around us only snow grasses and 
small patches of low distorted scrubby bushes. 
Not a blade of kangaroo grass was seen at any point 
above 5000 feet. 
In the gorges and hollows, at this altitude, there are 
some sheltered spots where the shrubs are well grown. 
Amongst the plants collected by us in our journey 
over these mountains, and examined by the Government 
Botanist, there are many rare and beautiful specimens. 
On the Flour-bag plain we gathered an everlasting 
(Helichrysum bracteatum —Willdenow), whose brilliant 
orange blossoms overtopped the grasses, and mingling with 
the white cotton-like blossoms of the Craspedia Richea 
(Cassini) and those of the orange-tipped C. Richea 
(var. Alpina), made quite a garden on the skirts of the 
forest. 
On Mount Hotham we found, to the exclusion of other 
plants, and growing thickly in patches, or sparsely amongst 
the loose stones, Celmisia langifolia (Cassini), with its 
greenish-grey leaves and yellowish almost thistle-like 
flowers; the greyish-white Antennaria nubigena (Ferd. 
von Mueller), its blossoms tipped with a pale purple ; and 
in many places, but nowhere thickly until we reached 
the slopes, Aciphylla glacialis (Ferd. von Mueller). This 
plant belongs to the “ Lovage ” or Ligusticum tribe, and 
is, with a second species, peculiar to the Australian Alps. 
The Government Botanist thinks it might, perhaps, become 
available as an additional culinary esculent for countries 
of the cold zone. Horses arc fond of this Aciphylla. 
