BY R. T. BAKER. 227 



late form of leaf throughout its life. At Narrabri the trees of E. 

 mclanophloia having all lanceolate leaves, are not easily distin- 

 guished from those of E. microtheca, as the barks are also identical; 

 in herbarium material, however, the leaves of the latter species 

 can easily be separated from the former, as they always dry a 

 light slate colour in contradistinction to the brownish colour of 

 those of the " Ironbark." 



The fruits of each are characteristically distinct, as mentioned 

 by all writers on the species. Although E. melanojMoia is now 

 shown to possess such a variation in foliage, no such variability 

 is known or recorded of E. microtheca, which is probably one of, 

 if not the most widely distributed species in Australia, occurring 

 as it does^ in the northern interior half of New South Wales, 

 Western Queensland, Northern Territory of South Australia into 

 the northern parts of Western Australia. 



Bentham {loc. ciL), under E. melanophloia, states "the species 

 is very nearly allied to E. crehra, and may prove to be an 

 opposite-leaved state of the form described as the ' Mackenzie 

 River Box-tree.' It sometimes resembles E. cine7^ea, F.v.M., but 

 differs in the bark, the stamens, and the fruit." 



Under E. crehra, F.v.M., Bentham also states : — " ' Box-tree ' 

 of the Mackenzie River, Leichhardt, also on the Suttor River, 

 Bowman, described by both as having the bark persistent and 

 fissured. The specimens are somewhat glaucous. . . . Fruit 

 not seen. This is very probably an alternate-leaved state of E- 

 melanophloia, F.v.M." 



In my opinion I think there can be little doubt but that 

 Bentham's surmises are correct, and that the Mackenzie River 

 ^'Box" is "an alternate-leaved state of E. melanophloia,'^ and is 

 identical with that at Narrabri, Nyngan, Dubbo, &c. His refer- 

 ence to E. cinerea resembling the opposite, sessile, cordate-leaved 

 state of E. melanophloia proves conclusively that it was the 

 " Argyle Apple" he recognised as that species, and not E. pulveru- 

 lenta, Sims, as has been conjectured. 



Although the gradation of leaf-form of E. melanophloia is 

 towards E. microtheca, yet there is still wanting the connecting 

 link between them. 



