0.2 



22. Eucalyptus Wilkinsoniana* 



K.T.B., Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S.W., p. 678, t. XLVI. fig. 2.) 

 Small- leaved Stringy bark. 



Systematic. — A medium-sized tree with a thin, compressed, not furrowed, 

 stringy-bark. Leaves lanceolate, falcate, generally under 3 inches long and 

 under 6 lines wide, oblique, thin ; venation oblique, parallel, distant, intra- 

 marginal vein removed from the edge. Flowers on axillary peduncles of about 

 6 lines long. Calyx small, 1 line long, 2 lines in diameter, pedicel about 1 

 line long ; operculum small, hemispherical, acuminate. 



Fruit.— Hemispherical, sessile or shortly pedicellate ; 

 rim thick, red ; valves slightly exserted, 

 acute ; 2 lines long and 2 to 3 lines in 

 diameter. 



The shape and red rim bring it closely to those of 

 E. haemastoma, var. micrantha. 



Habitat. Coast Ranges and districts of New South Wales. 



REMARKS. — The timber is pale-coloured, very hard, close-grained, heavy. In transverse and 

 compression tests, it ranks higher than that of any of the other " Stringybarks " here enumerated. It is an 

 excellent timber, and is strongly recommended for forest conservation. This is the " Stringybark " varietv of 

 /;. hcemastoma, Sm., mentioned by Baron von Mueller in his " Eucalyptographia " under that species. It differs, 

 however, from E. hcemastoma, in the nature of the timber, texture, venation of the leaves, bark, and chemical 

 constituents of the oil. and it is on these differences that it is now raised to specific rank. The red rim of the 

 fruit has evidently been the cause of the misplacing of this species, but it is now well known that this is a 

 character common to a number of Eucalypts. It was placed later as a variety of E. lasvopinea, R.T.B.. on chemical 

 evidence alone, but when the tree was better known its characters were such as to warrant specific rank. The 

 red-coloured rim is quite absent from E. loevopinea, R.T.B. In fact, the fruits of the two species are so very 

 different that the trees could not be synonymised with any degree of correctness in specific naming. Their 

 bark, leaves, ven tion, and timber are also different. E. ea, R.T.B.. has a hard, compact bark right 



out to the branchlet-, whilst this tree has a light-coloured, loose, stringy bark, not extending out to the limb-. 



ESSENTIAL OIL. — Leaves and terminal branchlets for distillation were 

 obtained from Barber's Creek, N.S.W., in January, 1899. The yield of oil was 

 0-98 per cent. The crude oil was but slightly coloured, and had an odour 

 resembling that of ordinary turpentine. It consisted principallv of pinene, 

 which was laevo-rotatory. Cineol was detected, but phellandrene was absent. 



The crude oil had specific gravity at 15 C. = 0-8944; rotation a D -- 21-4°, 

 refractive index at 20 = 1-4717, and was insoluble in 10 volumes 80 per cent, 

 alcohol. The saponification number for the esters and free acid was 5. 



On rectification, 2 per cent, distilled below 157 C. (corr.). Between 

 157-170°, 84 per cent, distilled, and between 1 70-224°, n per cent, distilled. 

 The lower boiling fraction consisted very largelv of laevo-rotatorv pinene. 



The first fraction had specific gravity at 15° = 0-8847, and rotation 

 a D - - 23-8°. The specific gravity of the second fraction at 15° was 0-921. The 

 results show this oil to agree closely with that distilled from E. Icevopinea. Cineol 

 indicated about 15-20 per cent. 



