568 NOTES ON THE NATIVE FLORA OF NEW SOUTH WALES, viii., 



siDecific rank. There would be a period, however, in the stage 

 of development, when it would be difficult to decide whether 

 the characters were sufficiently modified to justify each form 

 being regarded as a species. The decision would depend 

 greatly on the point of view of the botanist concerned, that 

 is, on his conception of what a species really is. In just 

 about such a transition-stage do E . lieinipMo'ut, and E. alhens 

 now appear to be, for botanists are not agreed as to whether 

 or not one of these trees is a variety of the other. As E . 

 hemij)hJ<)i(( was the first described, it is E. nlhem^, which, 

 according to botanical practice, would be regarded as the 

 variety by those who could not accept both as species ; while, 

 as a natural fact, it would seem that E. alb ens is the western 

 or dry-country form of E. hemi-phlo'ui, and E. hemi])IiIoia is 

 the eastern or moist-country form of E. alhens. It is not 

 difficult to separate the typical large-fruited, somewhat glau- 

 cous, western form of E . alhens from the greener and smaller- 

 fruited coastal form of E. hemiphloia ; but, in areas, like 

 portions of the Upper Wollondilly, or Upper Hunter, where 

 tJie Main Range is slightly lower, and western atmospheric 

 conditions come eastward, and there is a toning off or blend- 

 ir.g of both moist and dry conditions, the line of demarcation 

 between these two box-trees is much less pronounced. The 

 same remarks apply to areas on northern New England, as at 

 Stannum, where, owing to warmer latitudes, the Maiii 

 Divide does not provide such a decided cold barrier as in the 

 south, and the distinctive effect of eastern and western aspects 

 diminishes as Queensland is entered. 



E. hewiphJoia and E. alhens afford an excellent field for 

 the study of the development of the great genus Eucalyptus. 

 E. alhens occurs over practically the whole of the western 

 slopes, while E. hemipltloia is found intermittently over the 

 whole of the coastal area. 



E. quadrangulata, the Brush Box of the South Coast, 

 occurs plentifully under The Peaks, and especially near the 

 track passing the South Peak towards Colong, which is 



