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Germination Of Mallee
Seeds
Some years ago it was stated by
botanists that the seeds of mallees
were never fertile, and' that they
would not germinate, and that they
only propagated from roots. This was
demonstrated to be false when seeds
from cut mallee, which had been, used
to hviiRh Hip snntl drift in Port Lin
coln .semi ;na ted. TVtetically all ;be
ma!k-- plaa?-- now found on tnu r.and
blocks between Goldsbrough, Mort &
Co's. office and Kirton Point originated
in that way.
Mr. W. J. Zimmer, DipJFor., F.L.S..
Wangaratta, writing in the Victorian
Naturalist, says : —
The following notes are offered in
support of the evidence of Dr. C. S.
Sutton on the above subject which
appeared in the May issue of the Vic
torian Naturalist under a contribution
by Mr. Edward E. Prescott, of Mel
bourne.
During the past thirteen years, I
have been particularly interested in
the Eucalypts of the Mallee. I have
no illusions regarding the mode of
propagation 'employed, by those
species. iNumeroos-expierlments have
ki|«flicated b^yonfc^^g^y^jfe
seeds of the MaiieFiSE»cSy^w'***mff
very fertile— they also, possess the
ability to germiBate^freely.
Further, observations made through
out a series of root-studies on Euca
lyptus incrassata and Euc. oleosa, in
the early seedling stages of natural
regeneration on the sandhills near
Mildura, have shown that the roots
of seedling plants are definitely dis
connected from anything that could
give rise to the assertion that tlie
* plants come from old underground
roots.
At the Forests Commission Tree
Nursery, Merbein, thousands of seed
lings of the following Mallee Eucaly.pts
have been raised from seeds person
ally collected in the locality : Eucalyp
tus incrassata, E. angulosa, E. dumosa,
E. gracUis, E. oleosa, and E- viridis.
These sowings were always entirely
successful, the proof of which shows
the high fertility of the seeds and
refutes the fallacy that the seeds of
Mallee Eucalyptus are not genninable.
Further, the subsequent transfer of
seedlings from the seed boxes to pots
for further development was always
attended with success. Some of these
small trees are^jjow growing at the 1
quarters of the Tftorests Commission,
11th Street, MUdura, where (hey are
at least eleven feet igh. Others were
?sent to the Waite Research Institute,
South Australia, for planting in the
arboretum there.
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