BY THE EEV. DE. WOOLLS, D.D., F.L.S., ETC. 449 



a diameter of seven feet. The specific name is rather unfortunate 

 as the leaves for the most part are ovate-lanceolate, and, with the 

 exception of the fact that the tree is generally found growing- on 

 the banks of rivers or creeks, it bears no resemblance to the 

 willows. Although rapid of growth and of less specific gravity 

 than man of the Gums, the wood is used for building purposes, 

 such as scantling, battens, flooring boards, posts and rails, and 

 ships' planks, and it is excellent for the naves and felloes of 

 wheels. In the Flora Australiensis (Vol. III., p. 229), the Blue 

 Gum, or, at all events, some forms of it are referred to E. lotryoides 

 a tree very different in habit and belonging to another section. 

 E. saligna occurs on many creeks in the county of Cumberland, 

 and extends westward to the banks of the Grose and the gullies 

 of the Blue Mountains. The wood of the mountain variety is 

 used extensively by wheelwrights and carpenters, but it is 

 reported to be somewhat inferior to that of the low country. 

 According to Baron Mueller's figure (Decade 2.), the anthers are 

 oval, opening with longitudinal almost parellel slits, and the 

 seeds are without any expanding membrane. The bark of this 

 tree is remarkably smooth, of a bluish-white, or mottled appear- 

 ance ; whilst, in exceptional cases, a rough fibrous bark is found 

 on the butt. Though occurring generally near rivers or creeks, 

 it is sometimes seen as a forest tree, and as such indicates a good 

 soil. On the other side of the Dividing Eange, E. rostrata is the 

 species common on rivers and creeks. 



3. E. hcB7nastoma, (Smith), or the ''White Gum," takes its 

 specific name from the reddish rim of the fruit, but as this 

 peculiarity is not limited to one species of the genus, the designa- 

 tion is not a very appropriate one. This tree has a smooth white 

 bark, and although similar to E. Sieheriana, (F.v.M.) in the shape 

 of the anthers, j^et it differs from that species in the texture of 

 the bark, the venation of the leaves, and the shape of the fruit. 

 At first sight, dried specimens of both species appear very similar ; 

 but upon careful examination, it will be found, as Baron Mueller 



