88 THE EUCALYPTS OF GIPPSLAND. 



In the "Eucalyptograpliia" Baron vouMueller says, in speaking of E. eugenioides, 

 that the distinctions between E. piperita and E. eugenioides are not yet clearly made 

 out, and that, perhaps, Bentham's view, that both should be regarded as forms of one 

 species, may have to be adopted.* And, in referring to E. Piperita he describes 

 its fruit as truncate or globular ovate, contracted at the narrow-edged orifice, with 

 valves perfectly enclosed. 



This description accurately fits the sample from New South Wales, which, by the 

 courtesy of Baron von Mueller, I was enabled to examine in the collection of the 

 Department of Botany of Victoria. But it does not apply so aptly to the fruit of 

 E. piperita as I have found it in Gippsland. Occasionally I have met with examples 

 of this Eucalypt with truncate-ovate narrow.rimmed fruit, as, for instance, at the 

 Tambo River ; but the general form of the fruit, especially in the western part of th^ 

 district, is extremely variable, as will be seen from the following particulars. 



In order to study the possible differences which might exist between E. piperita 

 and E. eugenioides, I collected 26 samples from various parts of Gippsland, and 

 compared the fruit as one of the readiest means of reaching some definite conclusion ; 

 for I had already found that a diagnosis, based upon the general characteristics of the 

 aged trees, saphngs, seedlings of the umbels, buds and flowers, led to no definite 

 result, except to raise very strong doubts as to the distinctions between the so-called 

 separate species being maintainable. Of the 26 samples, 3 had truncate-ovate 

 fruit, 16 truncate-globular, and 7 truncate-spheroidal. 



In 10 examples the rim was sharp, and in 16 blunt, but the bluntuess of the rim 

 was not always associated with a much-truncated form of fruit and a wide orifice; and 

 in several cases I noticed on the same tree two forms of fruit, one truncate-ovate, 

 with a comparatively narrow sharp rim, and another which was much truncated and 

 more globular, and with a wide orifice. 



The samples which I thus examined were, six from the country east of Bairns- 

 dale, seven from the neighbourhood of Toongabbie, and the remainder from isolated 

 places throughout the district, from the coast line to an elevation of 30U0ft., at the 

 sources of the Wentworth River. 



If any conclusion is justified from these comparisons, I should say it is that the 

 greater number of samples having a truncate globular fruit, with a contracted aperture, 

 and a narrow sharp rim, are to be found in Eastern Gippsland, while those few, which, 

 in their much truncated fruit, with wider, blunt rims, and wider apertures, may be 

 assigned to Eugenioides, occur in the western parts, as, for instance, at Drouin and 

 the Agaes River. 



* Eucalyptographia Tenth Decade. 



