The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-09-28
ALPINE FLOWERS
Some Botanical Discoveries in the
 Snow Country.

AUSTRALIAN ALPINE FLOW EEt0 Some Botanical Discoveries in the
 Snow Country
 Australia has frequently, and with justice, been described as the botan- ist's paradise and Sir Joseph Banks has left on record ihe impressions of surprised delight produced by the va rety, beauty and luxuriance of the vegetation encountered by him on the shores Of what now constitutes the rich and prosperous colony of New South Wales. IL has been estimated that the colony possesses about 4,76o kinds of indigenous plants and weeds introduced from other countries. The number of native plants is being in- creased by recent discoveries in the snow country, in the extreme south extremely mountainous, extensive DOT tons of the country being above the snow line, one of the peaks, Mount Kosciusko, rising 1928 feet above sea level.
 Recently J. H. Maiden, director of the Sydney Botanic Gadens, descrized the results of visit to Mount Koscius- ko. He said the region did not boast the possession of what might be called showy flowers, but so many Of them had a beauty and a sweetness particu- larlytheir own that it did not seem an exaggeration to call them genms. Their beauty grew upon one the more they were studied They were neither earish nor coarse, if such expressions could be used in regard to any member of the vegtabl kingdom. Tn range or which Mount Kosciusko, with it's snow capped summit, formed such a proml- nent feature extended over a sonsldra- ble area and possessed an extensive fora Vegetation ceased at an altitude of 650O feet. For some distance only one kind of tree was seen (Eusalyptus cnriacea, the snow gum), and it gradu- ally diminished until at what was called the tree line it assumed the size and much of the appearance of srubc. Above were wind swept plains, plenti- fully bestrewn with dwarf shrubs and tiny herbs. Botanically the most in- | teresting portion of Kosciusko consisted | of these plants, which were dotted with 1 granite masses, in the interstices or | which a number of interesting plants | thrived. in addition to those most commonly found in the more open | country Some of the plants took rock climbing habit, assuming the shape of the rock to a remarkable de- gree Others Normed mats consisting l of dwarf plants, most of them consti- tuting mass of flowers in the sum- ! mer.
 | By far the greater number of the 1 flowers were white in color, yellows ranking next, though greatly inferior | in number. Green and inconspicuous | dull yellow, and purple and pink were | fewer still. There was only one plant | bearing a blue flower, but it was a | very showy one It had long sword shaped leaves, and was called Dianelia | Tasmanca, and was not found higher l than the tree line, attaining its great | est luxuriance in the belt of stunted | gums forming the tree limit. Perfume exhaling flowers were somewhat scarce l z. I Mvrtaceae whose leaves only emitted an odor on being crushed, the notable perfumes appearing 10 be confined tc | the genera Epacris and Slackhousla | Some specimens of the former on ths mountain exhaed a most powerful odor of cloves, which in the attenuatec and restless atmosphere is observed long distances from the nearest patel of blossom. Slackhousia pulvinari! was a dwarf yellowish Towering plan forming little mats, and it emitted perfune both powerful and sweet | Many of the plants became considera blv dwarfed in size, and among then was mentioned the only confer fount on the mountain It was only couple of feet in height but in the loWel country it grew to nearly three times tbat size This characteristic wal notable in several other plants, includ ing Claytonia australasica, Slackhous'; nnlvinaris Epiobium confertifolium Nertera depressa. Raoulia calipes Gnaphalium japonicum, Goodenia he deraceae, Peutachondra pumlla, ant Pimelea alpena. The ferns were fev in number, not more than half dozei at the most.
 One of the most charming of Austra Han alpine flowers is the dWarf ant snotlessly white Caltha introloba
 growing on the fringe of the snoV drifts or actually under the snow. l is described as being extremely beau t,fu, and worthy of admittance int
 the most select company ot alpin
 nlants. Botanical students visiting
 Australia will find much to engros
 their attention in the New Soutl
 Wales snow country and probably b
 abled to disvover fresh forms O alpine plant life. but their investisa
 lions must be made during the warme
 neriod of the year, from November tt
 February. the seasons in the northern
 hemisphere being reserved in th'
 southern.--Pall Mall Gazette.