BY HENRY DEANE AND J. H. MAIDEN. 719 



the affinity of E. Luelimanniana and the so-called E. viryata. 

 8ieber's E. virgata may be looked upon as either a glabrous form 

 of Luehmanniana or a pointed-operculum form of obtusifiora. To 

 speak as definitely as possible, we define it as a glabrous form of 

 K. Liiehinanniana (connecting with E. obtusifiora). It is an 

 imperfectly described form oscillating between two species; it has 

 remained a name for three quarters of a century, disturbing- 

 Eucalyptus nomenclature, and no one ever dared to figure it as a 

 species. 



All that remains is to give the name of E. virgata decent 

 interment, and we look upon the absolute identification of Sieber's 

 species as an important point in our paper. E. virgata perplexed 

 us for years, and the more we examined into its identity the 

 greater the confusion appeared. 



Concluding remarks. — On reviewing a very large series of speci- 

 mens we cannot but be struck with the points in which E. stricta, 

 E. obtusi/tora, E. Luehmanniana, and E. hcemastoma resemble one 

 another. 



While there are undoubted affinities between E. obtusiJloi-a and 

 E. Luehmxinniana (and between these two and E. hcemastoma), the 

 type forms are very difierent in appearance. Ampler opportunities 

 for investigation have shown that there are connecting links 

 between species of Eucalyptus which, at the time of describing 

 them, were not apparent, and the application of names to many 

 forms is preserved simply as a matter of expediency. It may be 

 stated as our carefully formed opinion that the judicious applica- 

 tion of names to varieties is expedient as it helps the student 

 and observer, and introduces definiteness into this protean genus. 



By the names we have adopted, we have indicated to some 

 extent our opinion of the affinities of the various forms dealt 

 with by us. At the same time, since there are connecting links 

 between all the forms, it is possible for a botanist who holds 

 strong ideas in regard to the consolidation of species, to adopt a 

 classification different from our own. It is interesting, for instance, 

 to view them as varieties of one comprehensive species — hcema- 



