A few remarks on the distribution and growth of Queensland plants

A

FEW

EEMARKS ON THE

DISTRIBUTION

AND

GROWrH

OF

QUEENSLAND

PLANTS.

By

F.

M.

Bailey, Botanist, Queensland

Museum

;

Corres-^ ponding

Member,

Eoyal Society,Tasmania.

[Bead

im

Mmj,

1878.]

The

following notesona fewQueensland plants, I

am

in

liopes

may

not prove uninterestingto

some

Members

of the

Society.

Some

ofourtrees, &c., are

met

withfar

away

from

what

would be supposed their habitat,

and

not, so ^ir as known, on intermediatecountry. Others again, which have alwaysbeen supposedto have beenintroduced by cultivation

are

met

withat so greata distance from where cultivation is

beingcarriedon as to

make

onethink that

mode

of

introduc-tionimpossible.

Again

thesoil and situation in which

we

find atree growing, are at times so very different that it

wouldlead onetosuppose

them

plantedin thesesituations

by

the erring handsofman,

and

not by the unerring

hand

of nature.

In bringing this before yournotice, I willdo so by enu-merating a fewillustrative examples: a striking one, which

has only recently been brought under

my

notice, is that of

the Lysicarpus ternifolius, Muell. This small, valuable, timber tree I

met

with in abundance, on the broken, ridgy country, at the easternfoot ofthe

main

range, wdiere the soil

was dry, andthe rocks cropping out in all directions.

The

frees and shrubs with which it was growing

was

such as are

usually

met

with in similar places, Casuarina, Eucalypti^ Banksia, Acacias, Petalostigma^a, Daviesia, PuJtencea,

Xant-liorrlioea, tj'c. Beforethis I

had

supposed the tree only to inhabitsandyknolls, such as are commoi^ on wide,

open

country, and are usually covered with scrub, composed of the following genera, viz:

—

Acacia, Sal^ea, Grevillea,

Myoporum, Capjutris, Atalaya, Dodona-a, Hovea, Hremop)hila,

Notelcea, Sfc.

The

country surrounding these knolls is

generally good for pastoral purposes,

and

has nothing in

common

with that firstmentioned, with the exception that the underlying rockis said byGeologiststo be the

same

in

both places. Another curious instance of trees, as it were

straying

away

from their supposed natural habitat

was

furnishedby Timonius Rumplii,

De

C,

two specimensofwhich Ifound a few years back, in one of the gullies of Taylor's Eange, about 6mileswest of Brisbane. These trees were healthyand strong,andafforded good shade, altliough the

leaves were notso large asthose of the plant in its natural

habitat.

They

seemed to have suffered nothing from frost,

thana mile

away had

suffered

more

or less every season.

What

makes

the situationof this treemost remarkableisthat

so far asis known,ithas never been

met

with outside the

tropics, exceptin this solitary instance.

How

came

it here?

An

Araliaceoustree, AsfrotricJiepteroccnya, Benth.,is another which is found occasionally in a site far distant from its

natural habitat, I found it on Mitchell's Pinches, in the Leichhardtdistrict, which

must

be upwardsof300milessouth of Fitzroy Island,the only habitat given for it in the Flora

Australiensis,and I

may

remark that so peculiar a tree, or

rather tall shrub, no collector would be likely to pass,

unnoticed. Its beautiful leaves andrich, dark purple panicle

would

be sureto attract attention.

I have

met

a remarkably pretty fern, Scliizcea Forsteri^

Sprengel, in two very distant places:

—

First, in the dense scrubsofMaroochie, about 80 miles from Brisbane, in a northerly direction; andalso in the dense tropical scrubs

inland,fromTrinityBay. Ibelieve Iwasthe first to notice

this Fernin Australia, which is

somewhat

strange,

consider-ingits delicate beauty.

Some

European

writers on ferns,

haveconfused it with Swarty's S. dicltotoma, butbesides the

difference of habits inthetwospecies, this latter is

much

more

robust, and as far asAustraliais concerned, i§found only on

thesandy land near the coast. It is wanting also in the pretty radiatingfructificationofS. Forsteri. "While collecting.

a short timebackat Tarampa, a station west of Brisbane,

and

about60 milesfrom thecoast, on an isolated hill, with

an

elevation ofsay 80 feet, the greater part of which

was-composed of loose rock,

among

which I could not find a

particle ofsoil, I noticedamidstthe scrub which covered the

hill,

many

shoreplants,andinparticularSarcostemmaaiistraJey

Bth., which

was

growing luxuriantly, binding the shrubs

together withits succulent, leafless stems.

But

on searching the scrub near, Ifailedto find either thisor anyof the other maritime shrubs. Thereisa curiousfactrespecting the flora

about Maroochie,a rich localitybeforementioned, situatedin the great dividing range, and where Ihadaweek's collecting,

some

fewyears back.

Though

far north, this place possesses agreater

number

ofthose plants, supposed onlyto belong to

the cooler parts of Australia than any other part of

Queensland I have seen.

Here

is oneof the widely divided,

habitats ofSi/injylocos Thwaitesii, and as far as

known

the only Queenslandhabitatof Quintinia Verdonii, F. Muell., a

New

South

Wales

tree. In a

swamp

I noticed also a large

amount

ofbroom-likeshrub, Viminariadenudata, Sim.,another southernshrub; in this

swamp

too, wasa large

amount

of

and

S.acutifolium,Elir.

The Tasmanian

plant,Mazitsjnimilio,

Benth., was abundant on thelow

damp

land,

and

theFernso

common

in Tasmania, Gramonitis Billardieri, in the

bed

of the creeks, might be seen covering the rocks

Some

plants

become

naturalizedso quickly,

and

spread with such

rapidityover the face of the country that it

makes

it a

difficulttask to trace their introduction, or to state with

certaintywhetherthey areindigenousor not. For instance,

the

Red

Head, Asclepias curassavica, Linn., with which liundredsof acres ofQueensland soil are

now

covered.

The

Horehound Marruhium

viilgare, which isto be seen in rich

profusion, but generally confined to old sheep yards.

The

little bright-eyed Pimpernel, AnagaUis arvenesis, has also

secured a footing far and wide through the colony ;

some

of

our

swamps

and streamsarefullofthe

common

Water-cress,

JVasticrtium officinalis,

Sium

latifolium, Sfc.

The

South

Aus-tralianpest,Cryptostemma calendulacea,E,. Br.,hastried

many

limesto gainfooting here,but has failedhitherto. Shouldifc

however, once be carried intoourfarwestern districts it will

in allprobability, spread with the

same

rapidity it has done

inthe othercolonies. All these, and

many

others doubtless

areintroductions.

But

there areothers

commonly

thoughtto

be introduced, as to wbich I think there is

room

to doubt, suchan oneis Garpesiumcernunus, Linn., a quantityofwhich I foundgrowing on

One

Tree Hill,

and

fromthence for

some

distance along the top of Taylor's Kange, this genus seems

to delight in locatingitselfin places ftir apart, some of the

species beingfound in South Europe, Caucasus,

Himalayan

Mountains, and

now

in Australia.

My

reasons against its

supposedintroduction, are:

—

There is no settlement within

some

miles ofthe spotwhereI found it growing; therefore,

itcouldnot be broughtinto the colony in packing, the

way

inwhich doubtless,

many

weedsare introduced. Again from the natureofitsachenesit would be most unlikely, if not impossiblefor ittohave been brought adhering to clothing.

The

achenesare destitute of pappus or retentive hairs by whichto adhere,and thus becarried toa distance. Goodenia,

grandijlora,Sims,Ihave f

amd

in

company

with the Qarpesium,

anduntilthenwas notawareofit being within

many

miles

of the spot.

With

regard to the Cape Gooseberry, Fhysalis peruviana, Linn., Ihad always thoughtitanintroducedplant,

andaccounted foritsappearance at every freshclearing byits

being eatenby birds,

and

thus carried

and

deposited.

But

when

at Trinity

Bay

in Aprillast, Isaw aplant growingin a

small openinginthe scrubon the Range, where the foot of the white

man

had not trod, three

months

previously,

and

must

havebeencarried bya birdover 80miles, which to me^ seems veryimprobable.

Ishall

now

ask attention to aj^eculiarityofgrowth. It is

alwaysofthe greatestimportance that

we

should possess a

correctidea ofthe variousorganswhich

make

up

the

whole-plant,

and

this can only be obtainedby a close study of the

functionwhich they perform.

But some

have, as it

would

seem, a double ortripleplace to fillinthe

economy

ofnature. Thus, with regardto

some

of our Loramliece, they produce

roots bothunder and above the part of the tree

upon

which

they are living. These upper or aerial roots are rather

modificationsofthe stem, and would seem to take an

inter-mediateplacebetween thecreeping stem Sololes of Lindley,

and

the Sarmentumof Fucbs and Linnaeus. Thislatter, asin

the case ofthe strawberry, sends outits prostrate thread-like

stems,which afterstretchingalong the surface of the soil for

some

distance forms a fresh plant at its extremity.

The

soboles sendsits creeping stemout in a horizontaldirection,

"between the surface ofthe soil,and sends

up

new

plants at variousintervals. Likethis lattersubterranean stem, the root-like stems of

some

species of Lorantlius in Queensland run along thesurface ofthe barkofthe tree

upon

whichthey are

living, and form plants atvariousintervals, this root-likestem

stillextending, orperchance dippingbelow the surface of the barkandramifying asthe true root of the plant. Thus, it willbe seen toresemble the soboles in

mode

of reproduction

and

growth, and the

sarmentum

in j^ositiou, being aeriel

notsubterranean. I will

now

draw

attentiontoa plantwhere

atriple function seems to be performed by one organ. I

refer to theroots, or

what

have been supposed roots of the

small, leafless, epiphytical orchid, TcEniopliyllum MuelJerif

liindl.

Having

one day broughta small plant of this minute

and

interestingorchid

home

with

me

fromthe scrub, Iplaced

itwith the stick

upon

which it was growing inan

empty

fruit

bottle. In this position it has both flowered and fruited.

The

fruitisan angular capsule-4 or 5 inches long, with a

short neck,andtapering towardsthe base, of a light green

color, andisthe most conspicuous part of the plant.

The

rootsareofa very lightcolor,almost white,

and

often

more

than one foot long.

On

one of the roots of this plant I

have noticed a bud, formed at a part where there was a

slight indentation, caused, I should think, by a stoppage of

growth at

some

time. This

bud

is

now

forming a plant,

therefore thesupposed rootisin realitya stem,

and

perform-ing thetriplefunctions ofa root, stem,andleaf. It will be

most

interesting towatchthedevelopment ofthe

much

larger

probability thebroadflattened roots of this plant, are after all,but a modification ofthe stem. I

am

in hopes of being

able to watchthe growthof this curious plant, as there are

atpresent finegrowing specimens at

Bowen

Park, thegrounds of

The

QueenslandAcclimatization Society, whose President,

L. A.Bernays, Esq., F.L.S. takes a very deep interest in

Phytology.