The Answer To This Riddle Was "Parakeelia." This Is A Local, Presumably Native, Name In Central Australia For A Most Wonderful And Useful Plant. A Specimen Brought Back By Me From This Locality Was Identified At Kew As CALANDRINIA BALONENSIS.

This plant grows close to the ground in little bunches; in place of leaves it has long, fleshy projections, like fingers, of a yellowish-green colour.

From the centre grows a pretty little lilac flower at the end of a single thin stalk. The fingers are full of watery juice and by no means unpalatable. We tried them raw, and also fried in butter, when they were quite good eating. The plant is greedily devoured by stock of all kinds, and in dry tracts in Central Australia has been the means of saving many head of cattle. As we found it, it was not easily got hold of, for invariably it grew right in the centre of a hummock of spinifex. At first the camels, not knowing its properties, would not risk pricking themselves, but after we had shown them, by clearing away the spinifex, how nice it was, they did not hesitate to plunge their soft noses into the spiny mass, with what good effect I have already described. Indeed, this plant is a wonderful provision of nature, and compensates a little for the hideous sterility of the country. I am not wide of the mark when I say that given "parakeelia" every second night or so a camel would never want to drink at all, though it is not really as serviceable as water - not having the same lasting effect.

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