62 



22. Eucalyptus Wilkinsoniana* 



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

 Small- leaved Stringybark. 



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, i line long, 2 lines in diameter, pedicel about i 

 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 " Stri-igybarks " here enumerated. It is an 

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

 E. 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 

 constitxients 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. Icevopinea, 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. Icevopinea, K.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. Icevopinea, R.T.B., has a hard, compact bark right 

 out to the branchlets, whilst this tree has a light-coloured, loose, stringy bark, not extending out to the limbs, 



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 principally of pinene, 

 which' was Isevo-rotatory. Cineol was detected, but phellandrene was absent. 



The crude oil had specific gravity at 15 C. = 0-8944; rotation 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 170-224, u per cent, distilled. 

 The lower boiling fraction consisted very largely of laevo-rotatory pinene. 



The first fraction had specific gravity at 15 = 0-8847, an d rotation 

 a - - 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. 



