156 A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TASMANIA 



certain times of the year. This exudation appears to be 

 just the sap of the tree, for by cutting the bark the sweet 

 flavour may be tasted at any time. Where wounded the 

 sap exudes, and crystallises as it flows down the side of the 

 tree. At this time of the year (May) the ' cider ' will only 

 flow in very small quantities, and cannot be collected. I 

 was informed by local residents that to obtain it in any 

 quantity it is necessary to tap the trees during the spring or 

 summer months. Like manna, this exudation is of a very 

 pleasing flavour, and is rather sought after in consequence. 

 Opossums are extremely fond of it, as also are many birds. 

 I am informed that at certain times of the year the wattle- 

 birds appear to almost live on it." 



The central figure and " sucker " leaves in Mueller's 

 plate in the " Eucalyptographia " is a faithful reproduc- 

 tion of the material in our possession, upon which the 

 research has been undertaken, and known in the locality 

 from which it was obtained as " Cider Tree.'" 



In this latter connection one may quote Mueller in his 

 " Eucalyptographia " : The sap of at least the alpine 

 varietj/ has not an unpleasant taste, and bush people have 

 converted it into a kind of cider." The variety in this 

 case is the original species of Hooker, and so regarded by 

 Bentham, Gunn, Oldfield, and Rodway. 



The fruits to the right in Mueller's plate {loc. cit.) 

 apparently represent those of E . Perriniana, which is quite 

 a distinct tree, as shown in this paper. 



Herbarium material of E. acervula. Hook, f., E. palu- 

 dosa, R. T. B., and E. cam'phora, R. T. B., and the Cider 

 Gum, E. Gunnii, Hook, f., are all somewhat alike, and on 

 the morphology of the fruits these species might possibly be 

 confounded ; and it is probably on these grounds that some 

 authors have regarded them as varieties of one species, but 

 when studied on a broad basis of species classification, such 

 as recommended by us, the differences are too great to 

 allow of anything but a specific rank in each case. Nor can 

 we under such a system include such good species as 

 E. maculosa, R. T. B., E . ruhida, H. D. et J. H. M., as 

 proposed by Maiden {loc. cit.), with their distinct botanical 

 and chemical differences. 



Timber. — The timber is pale-coloured, and very hard 

 and heavy, and Mr. L. G. Irby states that it is almost if 

 not quite as hard as that of the Australian Ironbarks E . 

 panicidata and E. crehra. 



