64 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF EUCALYPTS, 



that of the low country is a small tree with hard dark-coloured 

 wood and little esteemed, the " Red Box " beyond Mudgee is a 

 fine tree with wood highly valued in the building of bridges, &c. 



In the consideration of specific differences, little stress has been 

 laid on the nature and position of leaves, because they are so 

 variable even iu the same species. It is true that some have 

 alternate, and some opposite leaves, and some have the leaves 

 opposite when young, and alternate as they grow older; but these 

 variations do not afford any character for sectional division. The 

 trees which have opposite leaves are chiefly : — 



E. pidvemdeyita (including E. tetragona (nearly so) 



E. ciaerea) E. odontocarpa ) (opposite or 



E. mehmopJdoia E. tetrodonta J alternate) 



E. cordata (Tasmania) E. gamophylla 



E. macrocarpa . #. setosa 



E. perjo'iata E. pruinosa (nearly) 



E. erythrocorys (nearly so) E. doratoxylon (nearly) 

 Those which have the leaves opposite when young are : — 

 E. vimincdis E. Stuart iana 



E. pilularis E. goniocalyx 



E. globidus E. amygdalina 



To these may be added a few species which appear with opposite 

 leaves simply as seedlings; but it does not seem ' probable that, 

 even with a more extensive knowledge of the foliage (desirable as 

 such information is), much advantage would be gained in the way 

 of classification. 



Some have thought that, in the determination of doubtful 

 species, the texture of the wood should be considered. It is no 

 doubt very useful for cabinet purposes to collect specimens of the 

 wood ; and the late Sir William Macarthur was in the habit of 

 having such neatly arranged in the form of books. I could 

 imagine that a set of Eucalypt woods, carefully polished so as to 

 exhibit the grain for examination, would assist materially in the 

 identification of some species, but I caunot think that 150 different 

 kinds of woods, arranged in the way specified, would contribute 

 much towards classification. I have been told by practical men 

 that the timber of some trees differs very much in proportion to 



