196 



A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TASMANIA 



It is quite possible, in fact highly probable, that this 

 tree occurs farther south than recorded for New South 

 Wales, and also in Victoria, for it is easy enough to con- 

 found it with E . Siebejiana. 



It appears that the name " E. Sieberiana " must now 

 be deleted from the flora of Tasmania. 



An amended description of the original, by Sieber (D C. 

 Prod. III., p. 217), is here given, by the addition of 

 mature fruits, timber, and bark. 



Si/stematic Description. — An average forest tree, attain- 

 ing over 100 feet (Rodway), branchlets glaucous. Bark. 

 thick, laminated, running down in ridges, friable but no 

 kino on outer portion, inner portion hard, close, compact, 

 in cross-section, the duramen difficult to determine from 

 the normal wood, inner portion fibrous longitudinally. 

 " Sucker " leaves mostly alternate, petiolate, sometimes 

 glaucous, thin, oval-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, 

 venation distinctly marked, lateral veins not very oblique, 

 intramarginal veins removed from the edge, 4 to 5 inches 

 long, up to H inch broad. Normal leaves comparatively 

 small, rarely 5 inches long, mostly from 2 to 4 inches long, 

 up to ^-inch broad, lanceolate, shining, subcoriaceous. 

 Venation inconspicuous, lateral veins well oblique, a few 

 running from the petiole intramarginal vein removed from 

 the edge. Flowers on axillary peduncles or in short 

 panicles, operculum hemispherical, shortly acuminate. 



Fruits pyriform without pedicel, ^-inch long, |^-inch in 

 diameter, contracted at the top, rim countersunk. 



The differences between E. virgata, Sieb., and E. Sie- 

 beriana are found principally in the smaller leaves, counter- 

 sunk rim of the smaller fruits, timber and chemical con- 

 stituents of the oil of the former. They are rather diffi- 

 cult to separate, in herbarium material alone. 



Timber. — This is known in the trade as " Tasmanian 

 Ironbark,'' but this is not a good name, for it falls below 

 the qualities of the mainland Ironbarks. The presence of 

 gum veins detracts from it to a certain degree, but other- 

 wise it is a close-grained, hard, fairly heav}^ timber, with 

 an oak colour. It requires careful seasoning. 



Chemistry. 



Essential Oil.- — ^This material for distillation was 

 obtained at St. Marys in June, 1912. The average yield 

 of oil from the leaves with terminal branchlets was 0"793 

 per cent. The crude oil was but little coloured, it being 

 of a light yellowish-brown tint. It had a slio^ht second- 



