PRINCIPAL SPECIES OF EUCALYPTS GROWN IN AMERICA. 75 



( 'limatic requirements. — The Red Mahogany grows quite well in the 

 coast region of California, but does not thrive in the dry interior val- 

 leys. It does not resist severe frost, nor does it endure high temper- 

 atures in a dry atmosphere. It is well suited to moist, semitropical 

 climates, being confined in Australia almost exclusively to the warm 

 coast districts. 



JJses. — The tree furnishes a timber that is very strong, hard, and 

 durable. It is used in Australia for piles, posts, paving, shingles, and 

 general building purposes. Mr. Maiden says in his "Useful Austra- 

 lian Plants:" 



This is one of the most valuable hard woods of the colony [New South Wales] . It 

 is a rich red color, resembling true mahogany a good deal in appearance. It is a 

 grand furniture wood where its weight is not against it. * * * It is one of the 

 most durable timbers we have, being greatly resistant to damp and the attacks of 

 white ants. 



This Eucalypt can be used as a forest cover, as a shade tree, and as a 

 wind-break where it is too moist and warm for other species, and will 

 at the same time be a source of valuable timber. 



Eucalyptus robusta. 

 Swam i' Mahogany. 



Characteristics.— This is a tree symmetrical in form and of medium 

 size. In the Southwest it has not yet exceeded a height of 50 feet and 

 a diameter of 1 foot, but in Australia it is said to attain a height of 

 loo feet, with a trunk sometimes 50 feet long and nearly 4 feet in 

 diameter. The heavy foliageand spreading habitgive the tree astately, 

 robust appearance, hence its specific name, robusta. (See PI. XXXVII.) 

 The rusty gray bark is persistent and is usually wrinkled and fur- 

 rowed. The bark of the branches frequently Hakes off, leaving them 

 smooth. The leaves are large and leathery, sometimes being 6 inches 

 long and 2 inches wide. (See PI. LXXIII.) The upper side is dark 

 green, the lower a paler green color. The cream-colored flowers are 

 large and quite abundant, growing in clusters of 3 to 10 on stout, 

 usually flattened stocks. The seed cases are goblet-shaped, or some- 

 times urn-shaped, and occasionally slightly angled. (See PI. XCI.) 



< 'limatic requirements.— The tree thrives at and near the coast, but 

 does not endure well the dry heat of the interior. In its native coun- 

 try it grows in warm, swampy coast localities, but in the Southwest 

 it will grow in quite a variety of situations if supplied with sufficient 

 water. It has been much planted as an avenue tree in the Southwest, 

 hut after a few years it usually makes an irregular, unsatisfactory 

 growth, unless the roots are kept quite moist. It ought to thrive 

 along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, in regions free from heavy 

 frosts. 



