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After travelling seven miles, in a north-west direction, we came on a dense Myal scrub, skirted by a chain of shallow water-holes. The scrub trending towards, and disappearing in, the S. W.: the Loranthus and the Myal in immense bushes; Casuarina frequent. In the forest, Ranunculus inundatus; Eryngium with terete simple leaves, of which the horses are fond; Prasophyllum elatum, sweetly scented.
Stems spreading, forming a tuft 3 ft. through and about 1 ft. high. Joints 1½ in. to 3 in. long, and a little less in width, terete, with very prominent tubercles and numerous tawny bristles; upper spines 1 in. to 1½ in. long, white, with a yellow point, shorter ones hair-like and curled. Flowers 2 in. in diameter, produced in May. Fruit 1 in. long, bearing a few short spines. Mexico.
An Acacia, with long drooping, almost terete leaves, grew along the river; and Crinums grew in patches amongst the everlasting flowers, on a sandy soil. Our latitude, of the 9th November, was 25 degrees 53 minutes 55 seconds; and that of the 10th, 25 degrees 47 minutes 55 seconds, at about eleven miles north-west from the camp of the 8th November.
Cushions very close together, composed of short, white and yellowish bristles, and stout, terete spines, 1 in. or more long, set on little tubercles. Flowers 1 in. in diameter, with about five sepals, eight or nine petals, and a five-rayed stigma; they are borne on the apices of the topmost joints. This species is worth growing on account of its peculiar stems and the length of its white spines.
The variety of grasses is very great; the most remarkable and succulent were two species of Anthistiria, the grass of the Isaacs, and a new one with articulate ears and rounded glumes. A pink Convolvulus, with showy blossoms, is very common. Portulaca, with terete leaves, grows sparingly on the mild rich soil.
The similarity of its branches to Epiphyllum led to its being included in that genus by Haworth. This variety has larger, broader joints, which are bronzy-purple in colour. Mag. 3079. Stems terete, as thick as a goose-quill. Branches usually in clusters, and sometimes jointed, green, with small red dots and little tufts of fine, hair-like bristles.
Here I first met with Hakea lorea, R. Br., with long terete drooping leaves, every leaf one and a-half to two feet long a small tree 18 24 minutes high and with Grevillea mimosoides, R. Br., also a small tree, with very long riband-like leaves of a silvery grey. We did not see any kangaroos, but got a kangaroo rat and a bandicoot. Oct. 11.
There is a close resemblance between this and M. cirrhifera, and the treatment for both should be the same. Mexico, 1835. A well-marked species in the size of its mammae, or tubercles, which are at least 1 in. long by 1/3 in. in diameter, terete, slightly curved, and narrowed to a pointed apex, the texture being very soft and watery.
On the sandstone range I found Balfouria saligna R. Br., a shrub or small tree, with long linear-lanceolate leaves, and rather drooping branches, covered with very fragrant yellow blossoms; its seed-vessels varied from three to six inches in length, were terete, tapering to a point, and filled with silky seeds.
Branches numerous, composed of long, terete joints, rather thicker than a goose-quill, glaucous-green, slightly roughened on the surface, with depressions for the dot-like cushions. Branchlets usually fascicled and spreading. Flowers white, produced in spring, on the sides of the young joints, 1 in. across, large for the genus. Introduced from Central America about 1830.
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