170 Jonnud of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 March, 1916. 



BEE-KEEPING IN VICTORIA. 



By F. R. Beuhne, Government AincuUurist. 



XXYI.— THE HONEY FLORA OF YlCTOUl A— continued. 



(Continued from page 674, Vol. XIII.) 



The Butt-Butt (Eucalyptus Bridgesiana, R. T. Baker). 



Fig. 40. 



This eucalypt was formerly considered to be identical with, or a. 

 variety of, the Apple Gum {Eucalyptus Stuartiana). It is, however, 

 now classed as a distinct species. It differs from E. Stuartiana in 

 generally having much longer leaves, less flowers in a cluster, a whitish- 

 grey box-like bark, instead of a red stringy bark, and a whitish-brown 

 instead of a red-coloured timber. 



It is a tree of considerable size, with a whitish-grey wrinkled, or 

 checkered, bark, short and brittle in the grain, not fibrous, and almost 

 identical with that of the Boxes. The bark, when freshly cut, exhales 

 an aroma similar to the ordinary eucalyptus oil. 



The sucker leaves (1, 2, 3, Fig. 40) are, in the early stage, egg heart- 

 shaped, and then pointed egg-shaped, on stalks or stalklets opposite or 

 altei-nate. The mature leaves have rather long stalks, are pointed, 

 lance-shaped, often somewhat curved, and vary in length to over 12 

 inches. The leaves are not shining, the lateral veins spreading, either 

 prominent or faint ; the marginal vein well removed from the edge ; the 

 clusters on flattened stalklets carry about seven flowers ; the lower half of 

 the bud is half egg-shaped, the lid half-round, blunt or pointed. The 

 fruit is half-round, rarely conical, on a short stalk ; the rim is thickened 

 with a ring below the edge. 



The timber is fairly hard, and whitish-brown in colour. It is only 

 good for indoor work, as it decays rapidly when exposed to the air or 

 placed in the ground. The Butt-Butt is found in Victoria in Gipps- 

 land and parts of the north-east. (Description and illustration (Fig.. 

 40) taken from Baker and Smith's Research on the Eucalypts.) 



The Peppermint Gum (Eucalyptus piperita, Smith). 

 Fig. 41. 

 A tall tree, with a trunk up to 4 feet in diameter. Stem and branches 

 covered with fibrous bark, rough and grey outside. The branchlets are 

 slender; the leaves scattered, sickle-lance-shaped, not very long, more 

 shining on the upper than the lower side, dark green, and usually thin ; 

 their lateral veins faint and numerous; the marginal vein somewhat 

 removed from the edge. The umbels of from five to fifteen, rarely 

 three to four flowers occur at the shoulders of leaves, or mostly lateral on 

 the branchlets, on slender, slightly compressed stalks; buds on short 

 stalklets; lower part of bud half egg-shaped, top broad, conical, pointed;. 



