i>7 



60. Eucalyptus cinerea. 



I v.M., in B. Fl., iii, p. J39.) 

 Argyle Apple. 



Systematic. A picturesque tree, from 40 to 50 feet high, having a foliage 

 covered with a whitish bloom. Bark whitish brown or reddish, fibrous, thick. 

 extending almost to the branchlets. Leaves opposite, sessile, cordate ovate, 

 ovate-lanceolate, or lanceolate, on a short petiole; venation generally well 

 marked oblique, intramarginal vein removed from the edge. Peduncles axillary, 

 flattened or terete, very short, bearing mostly three flowers, sessile or nearly so; 

 calyx obconical, 2 to 3 lines long; operculum hemispherical, shortly acuminate. 



Fruit.— Sessile and hemispherical, or pyriform; rim 

 thick, domed ; valves short, rarely exserted ; 

 2 to .-; line:, in diameter. 



Fruits are not unlike those o/E. pulverulenta. 



Habitat. Counties of Camden and Argyle, Lake George, 

 New South Wales : Toongabbie to Walhalla, Vi toria. 



REMARKS. — Baron von Mueller in his " Eucalyptographia " unites this species with Sun'- /. pulver- 

 ulenta. but it is only under a much restricted classification that this would hold, for when seen in their native habitat. 

 no two trees could be more unlike each other than are these two. Bentham, however, agrees with the original 

 author, and separates the species (B.F1. iii. pp. 224. 230). Unfortunately for recent botann.il worker- Mueller 

 erroneously figures tlii- particular species (E. cinerea) when illustrating what he considered to be E. pulverulenta 

 (loc. cit.) ; tins has led to much confusion, and we ourselves did not di-i over this fa< t till Lite m the research for the 

 edition. In Mueller's numerous references to E. pulverulenta in his " Eucalyptographia," it is undoubtedly 

 • ' thai 1- meant, as it i- that tree, the " Argyle Apple " which has a reddish, stringy-bark, and a reddish- 

 coloured timber similar to E. Sluartiana, the " Apple " ..1 Vn toria, and Muelli 1 often states tli.it he was inclined 

 to considei these two lattei identical. We are of the- opinion, from our examination of the material oi !■'.. Stuartiana, 

 E. pulverulenta, I nerea and I , Bridgi iana thai the\ are all good and distinct species. Unfortunati I; mo I 

 of the Eucalyptus vernacular name- are misleading, one name bi ing applied to si vi ral distini t spec ies, bu1 E. cinerea 

 is an example in which one common name is applied to the one spei ies, and not to -cm ral other-, so that 111 this 

 particular in -t.un e there can be no in 1 -taking the tree locally, howevei mui h the botany may be in doubt. 



ESSENTIAL OIL. Leaves and terminal branchk ts for distillation were 



obtained from Barber's Creek, New South Wales, in January,. 1900. The yield 

 oi oil was 1-2 per cent. The crude oil was red in colour, and had a pronounced 

 odour of volatile aldehydes. A rather large amount of esters appear always to 

 be present in the oil of this species, consequently it had a tendency to become 

 acid, particularly if rectified by dired distillation under atmospheric pressure. 

 l'ineiie was always present, varying slightly in amount at different times ,,t the 

 year; but phellandrene was absent. The oil was rich in cineol, and when 

 properly rectified, of good qualitj for pharmaceutical purposes. The crude oil 

 had usually a high specific gravity, but contained a minimum of high-boiling 

 constituents for an oil of this clas--, although the ester content was considerable. 

 During the summer the specific gravitj oi the oil was usually lower than in the 

 winter, as the terpenes of low boiling point are then presenl in a maximum 

 amount. 



