BY THE REV. DR. WOOLLS, D.D., F.L.S., ETC. 491 



it is the same as E. scahra, E. penicellata, and E. acervida^ having 

 narrower leaves than the other Stringy Barks, and differing also 

 in the pale colour of the wood. The leaves are very unequal at 

 the base and the fruit is small, not capitate, and the rim 

 comparatively narrow. As a bush tree, Stringy Bark rises from 

 60 to 100 feet, and is associated with Box [E. hemifliloia) and 

 Grey Gum [E. teretieornis), having frequently a spreading habit, 

 and flowering regularly in the summer. It is a very useful tree, 

 for the wood is available for flooring boards, weather boards, 

 door-frames, shingles, fencing and paling, whilst the bark can be 

 utilized not only for covering rustic buildings, but also for the 

 manufacture of door-mats, paper, ropes, &c. I have been told 

 by practical men that Stringy Bark Shingles have been known to 

 last for 20 years, whilst a friend at Mudgee assures me that the 

 same tree, (as distinguished from the Red Stringy Bark), furnishes 

 a very durable timber, the posts of it having stood in the ground 

 for 40 years. The quality, however, differs according to the soil, 

 for, in some parts, it is not esteemed, whilst everywhere it is but 

 an indifferent wood for fuel. According to Baron Mueller, to 

 whom we are indebted for a technical description of the species 

 under the name of E. acervula, it occurs from Botany Bay to the 

 Macleay Eiver, and is allied systematically to E. piperita. 



3. E. piperita, is the common Peppermint of Port Jackson, so 

 called, because in the early days of the colony, it was remarked 

 that the volatile oil extracted from the leaves had in its scent a 

 great resemblance to Peppermint. This tree which grows to great 

 size, though generally spreading in its habit and not remarkable 

 for its height, extends here and there from the coast to the Blue 

 Mountains. Its bark which is not so fibrous or thick as that of 

 Stringy Bark, covers the butt, but not the smaller branches, and 

 on account of its greyish appearance, it is sometimes called, 

 especially to the Southward, ''White Stringy Bark." Differing 

 from E. capitella and E. eugenioides in the shape of the fruit, the 

 comparative thinness of the leaves, and in their less obliquity at 

 3K 



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