All the world is turning golden, turning golden,
Gold buttercups, gold moths upon the wing,
Gold is shining thro’ the eyelids that were holden,
Till the spring.
“Djanni Mia-Mia” (bark-tree house) was a triumph of rusticity, and the collection of hibiscus, boronia, flannel-plants and mauve everlastings were so lovely that I was obliged to buy several bunches of the different kinds. The bamboo stall was also very artistic, and the bamboos furnished receptacles for water, by means of which the flowers were kept fresh. “Yanget Mia-Mia” was the name of the bush-house, which had a background of bulrushes and blossom, and various bouquets of all sorts, sizes and scents were so tempting that I bought more, and found myself becoming a walking flower-garden. Wild flowers were here in every variety and hue. Specimens of native flora had been gathered from the hills and dales for miles around. The anygoxanthus (kangaroo paw), a most wonderful flower, was to be seen in many different hues: the blue and red leschenaultia, the trailing white clematis, or virgin’s bower, hanging in charming clusters, white and red hibiscus, and the more delicate heliotrope variety of the same flower, the delicate grey smoke-plant, with its dark green leaves, the snowflake flower, which, when blooming on its native earth, looks like a snow white carpet, one after another caught the eye. These flowers have long stems, and make exquisite table decorations. The thysanctus, or fringed lily, is a remarkable satiny-looking flower, and has a habit of climbing. The delightful boronia has many different varieties, the pale yellow being the prettiest, and the pink and white coming next; the dark red or brown, however, gives off a most delightful and refreshing perfume. The native roses are very pretty, the small blue ones being the first and last flowers to bloom during the season. The blossoms of the eucalyptus are of a magnificent crimson, and the delicate pink and white flowers of the crowea hang in loose clusters. Having travelled through so much of the Western Australian country, I recognised many of the beautiful gems that are to be seen adorning the Bush in various parts I visited. The kangaroo paw, before spoken of, has many varieties, ranging from faint cream colour, through scarlet, crimson, yellow, chrome, and green to sable, and in form is exactly like the foot of our typical Australian animal. The little trigger (candolea) plant, with its white flower suffused with shades of pink and yellow, and the marianthus, a climbing flower, are extremely beautiful.
DRIVING IN PERTH PARK AT THE SUMMIT
The peculiar-looking ice-plant grows in the hot dry sand of the coast. I admired greatly some soft-tinted native tulips (pink), which were prettily veined and almost transparent. The actinotis (or flannel flower) is very abundant and long lasting, and therefore well fitted for decorations. Pilotus (or cat’s paw) has a pink and white flower, and retains its colour for a long time. A flower called the lactinostachys is most phenomenal; the stem and leaves seem to be without sap, and have a thick woolly covering; the flower looks so artificial that one can hardly believe it to be real. It is found in the northern part of the colony in hot dry localities. The clematis is a sweet pure white flower, which literally covers the trees and shrubs where it climbs. The banksia (or honeysuckle) is a handsome flower, with a kind of crimson cone. The parrot-plant looks like a many-coloured bird. The grevillia (or native fuchsia) is here in many hues. Sturt’s desert-pea is a very handsome, brilliant scarlet flower, with black centre. The fringed verticordia, with its lemon-centred foliage, is pretty, and so is the callistemon, which has bright scarlet plumes. The petrophila flower has striking blossoms that look like rich pink velvet, while the yellow flowers and peculiarly formed leaves (resembling a stag’s horn) of the synaphea were the most remarkable growths that I saw. Everlastings in every colour imaginable were there. The delicate but striking beauty of various orchids was shown to great advantage; the calendia (or spider orchid), with its peculiar spots, was particularly attractive: the douris (or dog-ear orchid), and the prasophyllum, with its spikes, 18 inches long, of dense white flowers, were interesting; so was the lyperanthus orchid, whose flowers turn black when dried; while the drakea (or hammer-head orchid) looked almost like a little duckling. The glossodia, spotted white, seemed as if it were varnished. Then there was a sensitive plant called the pterostylis, which almost resembled a tiny box, with a movable labellum, which is sensitive, and, when irritated by an insect, closes the box and imprisons the insect. Droseracea belongs to the fly-trap family, and has leaves and tentacles covered with a sticky juicy kind of acid, which arrests the inquisitive little insects, who come doubtless attracted by the dew on the leaf. As soon as these tentacles are touched the leaf closes in upon the unwary insect, which is soon absorbed by the juice exuded by the plant. The flower of the byblis, by far the largest and most attractive of the species, is of a rich salmon-pink colour. Probably the brightness of the flower attracts the insect to the stem and leaves, which are covered with the same juice as the droseracea, but in this instance the insect is absorbed on the surface of the plant. There are thirty-six species of insectivorous droseracea.