yielding Food for Man. 41 
very available for food ; and I shall therefore only notice 
the following:— 
Astroloma humifusa , the Tasmanian cranberry, is 
extensively known and diffused, being found all over the 
Colony. “ It has a fruit of a green or whitish colour 
(sometimes slightly red), about the size of a black cur¬ 
rant, consisting of a viscid apple-flavoured pulp enclosing 
a large seed. This fruit grows singly on the trailing 
stems of the plant, which resembles juniper, bearing 
beautiful scarlet blossoms in winter.” Children appear 
to be fond of this fruit. 
The fruit of Styphelia adscendens , a small prostrate 
shrub, common near Degraves’s Saw-mill, at Hobart, 
resembles in appearance and character that of Astroloma 
humifusa . 
Leucopogon JRichei , also called native currant. This is 
a large dense shrub, growing only on the sea-coast, and 
attaining to a height of from 4 to 7 feet. The berries are 
small, white, and of a herby flavour. 
M. Riche, a French naturalist in D’Entrecasteaux’s 
voyage in search of La Perouse, was lost for three days 
on the south coast of New Holland, and supported him¬ 
self principally upon the berries of this plant; in com¬ 
memoration of which circumstance it has received its 
specific name. 
Nat. Ord. Solan Potatoe family. 
Solanum laciniatum . Kangaroo Apple. 
This is a shrub growing from 4 to 6 feet high, with large 
deeply-cut leaves, bearing blue flowers, succeeded by a 
large fruit resembling that of the potatoe. This fruit 
when perfectly ripe, which is indicated by the outer skin 
bursting, may be eaten in its natural state, or boiled or 
baked. It has a mealy subacid taste, and may be eaten 
in any quantity with impunity ; but until the skin bursts, 
although the fruit may otherwise appear ripe, it has an 
