58 Kelly, Plant Distribution in the Healesville District, [vor'xxxi 



black and white amygdalinas and his ])lack and white 

 leucoxylons. " By their fruits ye shall know them " — and 

 sometimes be misled. The best contrasts between the tall 

 amygdalina and regnans are to be observed near Narbethong. 



Eucalyptus ohliqua is veritably a messmate to all those 

 mentioned, being found in association with them, and usually 

 the dominant partner, from the lowest to the highest ground. 

 It is found on the river banks, sometimes hanging over the 

 water in almost willow-like form, and at the tops of the 

 mountains as a straight-trunked, magnificent timl)er tree. 

 It is most luxuriant at mid-distances on the mountain slopes, 

 its height being practically in proportion to altitude of situa- 

 tion, its straightness, as would be expected, in just ratio to 

 closeness of growth and advantage of moisture and soil. E. 

 macrorrhyncha, the true stringybark, is found in the clay-stone 

 lower hillsides in company with the mid-forms of messmate 

 and peppermint. It is fast disappearing, as, growing in 

 unreserved country, it has been ruthlessly cut down for its 

 general utility, and is a shy reproducer, though it seeds plenti- 

 fully. Eucalyptus eleophora, or E. Cambagei, D. and M., the 

 local " bastard box " of the bushmen, is found usually in 

 association with E. Stuartiana, and is the lowland variation of 

 the highland E. goniocalyx, which is here called " blue gum," 

 and sold for timber under that name. 



The upper branches of this first story form the first break 

 or resistance to the rainfall so necessary in the watershed of 

 the territory reserved for conservation of the water supply for 

 the city of Melbourne. It is well understood that if this story 

 were destroyed, or even reduced, the reserve, as a collecting 

 area for water, would be proportionately less valuable. At 

 this upper plane of the vegetation the force of downpour is 

 partially broken. The shorter trees of this story receive in 

 many of the gaps their share, both stages steadying the fall 

 on the denser leaf-surface of the second story. 



This, in the water reserve, consists of smaller trees and 

 shrubs of a considerable number of genera and species. Some 

 of these genera are botanically far apart but close in associa- 

 tion. In parts, particularly the gullies and their slopes, the 

 roof of this story is mainly formed of the large fronds of the 

 tree-ferns Dicksonia Billardieri and Alsophila australis. It is 

 an uneven and sloping roof, for not only do these tree-ferns 

 vary much in height, but so also do the other components of 

 the story — not only between the species, but amongst them- 

 selves. The advantage of this variety of growth is manifold. 

 It is of incalculable advantage on steej) liillsides, where the trees 

 of the lower parts, nourished by moisture, grow higher, and 

 form a series of compact surfaces or corymbs springing from 



