Page:The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News 5(227).djvu/6



ened into a sort of a tube, like an epacrideus plant.

The splendid genus verticordiæ, produces several fine new species ; the large scarlet verticordiæ which I call V. grandis, first appears on the sand plains to the east of the Hill river ; but it is seen in the greatest perfection on the sand plain to the north of the spring, called by Mr Brown, the ' Diamond of the Desert,' it grows to be about five or six feet high, with glaucus, round, and rather fleshy leaves, about half an inch in diameter ; the flowers are seen in their greatest beauty the second or third year after the plants have been burned down ; it is then from two to three feet high, throwing up many stems from the same root, and one mass of scarlet flowers ; the principal branches are covered for more than a foot of their length, and these throw out many smaller shoots which are also covered with flowers. I found another species of verticordiæ with leaves in the shape and size like the V. grandis, but thinner in substance. The whole plant, although growing to the same height is of very slender habit, and is found thinly scattered over the great sand plain between the Hutt and the Murchison, the flowers are of a lilac colour, and appear to have five blood red spots in each flower ; these are produced by the undivided part of the calyx, which is of a very dark red colour, and it appears like red spots through the almost transparent corolla; this plant when well grown, that is, where it grows in open places and is not injured by other stronger plants, has every one of its numerous slender branches leaded with flowers in that state, and may contest the prize of beauty even with V. grandis itself.

A new lilac flowered verticordiæ, with glaucus, heart shaped, indented leaves, with several imbranched stems from the same root which terminate in small corymbs of flowers, grows sparingly about nine miles to north of the Hill river, and also near the base of Mount Lesseur ; and I have seen specimens which were gathered by Mr Edward Whitefield, near his residence on the Moore River ; this is one of the rarest specimens of the genus. A new verticordiæ, growing five or six feet high, with heart shaped leaves and drooping corymbs of yellow flowers, grows abundantly on the sand plain to the northward of the Hutt river ; another beautiful yellow species growing to twice the height of V. grandiflora, with larger flowers and longer leaves, and without the hairs which grow on the stem of one variety of that plant, and differing from both varieties, in growing to a much larger size, is found on sand plains near the Smith river. I have several other supposed new species of verticordiæ, but they require to be compared with other species in my herbarium.

Calycothurix produces several new species, with both purple and yellow flowers, but the characters which distinguish the species of this beautiful genus are so minute, I cannot describe them in a communication of this kind, the only species I shall particularly notice, is one which grows in form of a pyramid ; the plant grows about two feet high and about a foot wide near the ground, and tapers up to a point ; the leaves are small and heath like, the branches crowded as thick as they can grow together; the outside of the,pyramid was one mass of purple flowers, which almost hid the leaves ; this curious and beautiful plant grew in abundance near the spring called the ' Arrow Well.'

Of Labillardier's genus pileanthus, I gathered two species, and I saw a portion of a third, which was brought by my son, James Drummond, from the Upper Irwin, the first is a species with large purple flowers, growing in corymbs, not unlike a purple sweet William. This species grows on the limestone hills to the north of the spring, Diamond of the Desert ; the other species I met with, has red flowers ; it is near one I found on the Wanjan Hills, but the flowers are smaller and more numerous in the heads, and the habit of the plant is different ; the species I saw from the Upper Irwin, has heart shaped leaves and orange coloured flowers.

The sub-tribe of myrtaceæ leptospermæ produces but few new species to the north ; among those found, are three species of hypocalyma, a yellow coloured species, growing from eighteen inches to two feet in height, with leaves about an inch long, and quarter of an inch wide, first makes its appearance on the sand plains and ironstone hills near Dundaragan, and I saw it in abundance in similar situations as far to the north as Mount Lesseur : it produces abundance of fine yellow flowers in the axils of the leaves. A narrow leaved plant like hypocalyma angustifolia, but having yellow instead of white flowers, grows sparingly near the Diamond Spring, and a white flowering and robust growing species, five or six feet high, with leaves of the size and form of the broad leaved species, grows abundantly, but only in one spot, a small valley among the hills, about four miles to the north of Dundaragan ; a square capsuled opposite leaved eucalyptus, not yet seen in flower, grows among the hills near Dundaragan ; and a beautiful yellow flowered eucalyptus grows on the limestone hills to the west of the Valley of the Lakes ; it grows to a tree from twenty to thirty feet high, the leaves resemble those of the red gum, they are hispid on the young shoots, glatious on the flowering branches, which are always opposite in vigorous growth, sometimes alternate on old stunted trees ; the cups are of a bright scarlet colour, and have a verrucose appearance : when the capsule expands in a quadrangular form, the angles carrying with them the stamens in four divisions ; the seed vessels are nearly as large as those of the red gum ; the scarlet cups, fine yellow flowers, and opposite shining leaves of this tree, makes it one of the finest species of the genus.

A beautiful species of Dr Lindley's genus eremæ, but departing in some degree from the generic character, in having flowers born in clusters of four together, of a beautiful scarlet colour, and with buds covered with a soft wax like substance before they expand. A calothamus, with lanceolate leaves, about three inches long, and about a quarter of an inch wide, bearing bright scarlet flowers, followed by verrucose seed vessels, grows on the sand plains between Champion Bay and Mount Fairfax, and near the road in several places more to the south.

The natural order rutaceæ, or Rue family is not common in the country passed over, but I met with two plants which I suppose belong to now genera ; one is a small shrub, about two feet high, with round hoary leaves about half-an-inch in diameter ; the flowers have no calyx ; they consist of five petals which expand in a star like form, they are of a greyish green colour outside and pure white inside ; they soon fall off, and leave only the two celled capsules ; the cells are placed opposite, with lengthened recurved points, they each contain a single seed ; this plant grows sparingly by the side of a water course on the east side of Mount Lesseur ; the other plant which I suppose belongs to a new genus of this order, is a stiff upright growing shrub, about two feet high ; the flowers are borne in corymbs from nine inches to a foot in diameter ; the flowers are not very conspicuous, but they are accompanied by numerous large bracts of a golden yellow colour, which makes this one of the most showy of our native plants ; it grows on sand plains to the east and west of the southern branch of the Hill river, and in other similar situations to the south of the Irwin river.

A new euphorbiæ, grows among the warrang holes on the Irwin ; the leaves are linear, about an inch long ; the stems grow from eighteen inches to two feet in height.

(To be continued.)