502 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES (CHIEFLY TAXONOMIC) ON 

 EUCALYPTUS, ii. 



By J. H. Maiden, Government Botanist and Director of the 

 Botanic Gardens, Sydney. 



1. E. saligna Sm., and E. botryoides Sm. {E. botryoides Sm. 

 = E. saligna Sm. var. botryoides, var.nov.). 



I propose to show that the above two species are conspecific. 

 Their affinity long ago impressed me. In 1889* I wrote, "In 

 external appearance and timber it {E. botryoides) seems to merge 

 into E. saligna." I have examined the trees for many years, 

 latterly with Mr. R. H. Cambage, to settle this one point, i.e., is 

 there any character to separate the species'? To carry out this 

 work we chose (amongst other localities) the Brisbane Water 

 (N.S.W.) district, which is the home of typical " Blue Gum " 

 {^E. saligna); and the Otford, Stanwell Park, district, in which 

 typical E. botryoides is abundant. 



We found E. saligna with rough bark up to the first fork and 

 even higher up in shallow valleys facing the sea, e.g., at Kincum- 

 ber, Brisbane Water. From the Blue Gum flats (with good 

 soil) in the neighbourhood, with their typical examples of the 

 species, as we approach the sea and the innutritious sandy soil 

 and strong sea breezes, we find that the rough bark gradually 

 creeps up the butt, and the trees themselves become more 

 crooked and even gnarled, finally merging into E. botryoides. 

 The same thing was noticed in southern localities. 



The following states the case in regard to typical specimens: — 

 " The differences between E. saligna and E. botryoides are 

 habitually very great on account of their respective bark, thin, 

 smooth and pale in the one; thick, rough and dark in the other; 



* Useful Native Plants of Australia, p. 435. 



