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Ceratopetalum apefalum, D. Don, 

 THE COACH WOOD. 



Botanical Name. Ceratopetalum, from two Greek words, keras (a horn) 

 and petalon (a petal), the petals being jagged, reminding one of a stag's 

 horn, in the species (C. gummiferum) on. which the genus was founded. 

 Apetalum, without petals, this character being distinctive of the species. 



Vernacular Names. Its commonest name is " Coach Wood," so called 

 because of the use of its timber in coach-building. It is also called " Leather 

 Jacket " because of its tough, fibrous, closely-adherent bark. " Light 

 Wood " is a common name for it (perhaps nearly as much iu vise as 

 " Coach Wood," but an undesirable name as we have so- many other light 

 woods). It is so called because it is very light when properly seasoned, 

 in fact, about 40 Ib. per cubic foot would be a fair average. 



Flowers. The flowers are white and not very conspicuous, but as growth 

 proceeds the calyx very largely increases in size, takes on a crimson or 

 purple colour, and becomes very conspicuous, forming what is known to 

 most people as the " flower." 



Bark. If the bark be wounded it gives off a perfume; its smell is like 

 that of Tonka beans or new-mown hay, and is owing to the presence of a 

 substance called " Coumariii." I have kno*vn a small slab of it to be useful 

 for scenting linen-presses. 



Timber. The one great value of this tree is. for its timber, and it would 

 be far more used than it is were it not for the frequently inaccessible 

 .gullies in which much of the best timber is found. It is tough and is used 

 for tool handles and for boat and coach building. It possesses a faint but 

 pleasant odour. It is said to be peculiarly well adapted for sounding boards, 

 for musical instruments, for stethoscopes, and such purposes. Its uses in 

 that direction have, however, been little more than tentative. 



Planks of Coach Wood, both wide and thick, may be procured from the 

 larger timber yards in Sydney, so that enterprising people can have no 

 difficulty in testing it for special requirements. Much of what supplies the 

 Sydney market comes from Gosford. 



Its value as a coach-builder's timber is sufficiently great to be insisted 

 upon. 



It is a useful timber to the coach-builder for placing in clean, dry 

 situations. Und,er such circumstances it is equal to English Ash. Its 

 weakness is its liability to rot when left in damp or dirty places near the 

 bottoms of carriages which are neglected and not kept clean. For very 

 many years this timber has been in request for coach-building. An eminent 

 coach-builder informed me that " it is the grandest Australian timber for 

 coach-b\iilding." It is undoubtedly excellent for bodies, and a good all-round 

 timber. 



Size. It commonly attains a height of 60 or 70 feet and even more, and 

 a diameter of 2 or 3 feet. 



Halntat. This trees is almost confined to New South Wales. It extends 

 into Queensland at the Macpherson Range. It is a gully tree, and common 

 as it is, I believe I have never seen it out of such situations. It may be 

 found in most of the Blue Mountain gullies, and also a considerable distance 

 north and south of Sydney. The furthest southern locality I know for this 

 tree is Milton; the furthest western, Mount Wilson; and the furthest 

 northern, the Macpherson Range. 



