762 COLOURATION OF YOUNG FOLIAGE OF EUCALYPTUS, 



I tried, while in the bush, imitating the records by blotches of 

 water colour, but failed; oil colours would be better, but I had 

 neither the ability nor the time to adopt this method. 



It is understood, of course, that my observations are so few, 

 that there is but little opportunity for generalization. Without 

 going so far as to say that in all cases the botanist of the 

 future will be able to determine every species by the colour of 

 its flush, I believe that my observations in regard to the matter 

 (most of them not standardised) justify the belief that a num- 

 ber of species, and some groups, can be diagnosed by this 

 means . 



I quote the dates and localities, because we have yet to learn 

 whether the colour varies to any extent with these variables. 



Each species (or rather each plant, for each plant varies 

 somewhat within the species) has an optimum for colour, which 

 requires to be ascertained. It will therefore be necessary to 

 make a number of observations (as many as possible should be 

 made on the same tree) before we ascertain the colour which we 

 record as most characteristic of the species . 



In some cases (not reproduced) I have marked the colours 

 "secondary/'" as I am of opinion that they are not characteristic 

 of the species, but represent one or more outside colours. In a 

 few I have noted the colours of the young twigs, for whatever 

 they may be worth. In most cases the colour-references have 

 been made by Miss Margaret Flockton or Mr. W. F. Blakely. 

 Most of the leaves have been collected by Mr. Blakely and Mr. 

 J. L. Boorman. 



A. The Renantherae preponderatingly cluster around vinous 

 purple (Plate 171). 



E. microcorys, placed by Bentham and Mueller in this Sec- 

 tion, has dull carmine lake (plate 106), and in this respect and 

 in a number of other characters (e.g., kino, anthers and seed- 

 lings), as I shall show in my "Critical Revision of the Genus 

 Eucalyptus," it is so aberrant, that it should be removed from 

 the Renantherae. 



E. capitellata Sm. 

 Port Jackson. 



Young foliage — "vinous purple," see Plate 171. 



Very young foliage — "garnet dull," Plate 163, shades 1-3 . 



