BY THE REV. W. WOOLLS. 63 



appearance. But these irregularities, as they would be popularly 

 regarded, are of much less importance than mistakes which have 

 arisen from a too rigid application of the an thereat system without 

 reference to the bark, wood, or habits of certain trees. In the 

 excellent " Forest Flora of South Australia" by Mr. J. E. Brown, 

 F.L.S., two such instances occur, the first in E. leucoxylon, F.v.M., 

 and the second in E. panicidata, Sm. The former of these is called 

 in South Australia " White Gum," " Blue Gum," and " Pink 

 Gum," and from the character of its bark it stands in the Baron's 

 Leiophloice. Its specific name denotes that the wood is white, and 

 the tree is said to assume a variety of forms. Now, by adhering 

 too strictly to the anthereal system, this gum tree is said to be 

 identical with our "Red-flowering Iron-bark" of Eastern Australia, 

 a tree remarkable for the dark colour of its wood, and the deep 

 fissures of its rough bark. There is certainly great similarity in the 

 flowers and fruit, but to those who have had opportunities of seeing 

 the two trees in their native forests, it seems marvellous that 

 they should be regarded as the same species. Our red-flowering 

 iron-bark is Cunningham's E. sideroxylon, and I believe that 

 Baron Mueller now recognises it as such. E. paniculata is called 

 in South Australia the panicle-flowered "White Gum," a small 

 tree never found to exceed 30 or 40 feet, having deciduous bark, 

 light-coloured wood, and a stunted spreading habit. There can be 

 no doubt that the true E. panicidata belongs to Port Jackson, as 

 it was one of the first of which specimens were forwarded from 

 N. S. Wales to Europe, and which, since the publication of the 

 Flora Australie?isis, has been identified as the " Pale or White 

 Iron-bark " (so called to distinguish it from the iron-barks with 

 darker wood). This tree rises to 100 feet and upwards, has very 

 tough wood, persistent bark, and an upright habit. The two 

 trees, notwithstanding the close resemblance of flowers and fruit, 

 must be regarded as two distinct species. Another instance occurs 

 in E. polyanthema, under which the "Poplar-leaved Box" or 

 "Lignum vitas" of the low countrv is confused with the "Red 

 Box or Slaty Gum " beyond the Dividing Range The trees differ 

 very much from each other in bark, wood, and habit, for whilst 



