144 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
NOTES ON THE FLORA COLLECTED DURING THE 
' EASTER EXCURSION. 
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(By Edwin Cheel.) 
Procesding along the road from Kembla Grange to 
Brownsville and Lake Illawarra, the undulating country, 
which the settler has converted into pasture—land and cul- 
tivation—paddocks is seen to be almost denuded of trees and 
shrubs, but there is still some evidence that this picturesque 
part of the south coast district must formerly have been 
very fine forest areas, as there are a few living specimens or 
eucalyptus and angophoras, as well as a number of ring-bark- 
ed ones, which convey to the mind of the observer some idea 
of what previously occupied the land. Although the land has 
been considerably changed from its natural condition, a small 
patch here and there was noticed in which there are also a 
few smaller plants left and sufficiently interesting to attract 
the attention of naturalists. 
In the water channels or mud flats along the roadside, 
quite a number of tiny plants of Cotula reptans was found, 
and along the embankments of Mullet Creek, some large 
shrubby plants of Commersonia Fraseri were noticed. Cy- 
perus trinervis, a Cyperaceous species, and Juncus homalo- 
caulis, a member of the rush or Juncaceae family, were also 
very plentiful in the district. Quite a number of native 
grasses were seen, including one of the so-called ‘Windmill 
Grass,’ Chloris truncata, the ‘Pitted Blue Grass,”’ Andro: 
pogon pertusus, the ‘Hairy or Silky Blue Grass,’’ A. serz 
ceus, as well as A. affinis. This latter species, of course, 
is quite common. Two exotic species which appear to be 
taking possession are Pennisetum longistylum, a native of 
Abyssinia, and a ‘‘Pidgeon Grass,” Setaria imberbis. Both 
these species are regarded as very poor quality from a pas- 
toral point of view, the former, in fact, is rather a pest, 
while the latter is a weed very similar in appearance to 
Setaria glauca, which is given as a native of this State, but 
is distingushed by the longer and more slender spikes, as 
well as some other minor structural differences. In addition 
to the sedges, rushes, and grasses mentioned, there were 
quite a number of other flowering plants collected, as well as 
some interesting specimens of the cryptogamic or non-flower- 
ing section of the vegetable kingdom. 
The most noteworthy of the latter are some fine speci- 
mens of Lepiota procera, a species belonging to the Agari- 
cacae, which are sometimes called ‘‘toad-stools.’’ These are 
similar in shape to the common mushroom, Psalliota cam 
pestris, which was fairly plentiful in the disrict, but may be 
distinguished by the longer stems, whiter gills and the moy- 
able ring or annulus around the stem. 
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