228 



sometimes 9 lines long. Buds long and acuminate, apparently sessile, but really 

 tapering into short pedicels, mostly covered with whitish bloom ; operculum 

 conical, acuminate, sometimes obtuse, almost as long as the calyx tube. 



Fruit. Pedicellate or sessile, obovoid, oblong, 

 truncate, glaucous ; rim narrow, the capsule 

 deeply sunk ; valves not exserted ; about 

 6 lines long, 3 lines in diameter. 



A very distinct fruit which readily separates it frmn 

 E. hemiphloia. The gkatcottsness alone is sufficient 

 to identify the. fruit, for it has this feature more pro- 

 nounced than most others. 



Habitat. Distributed throughout the Central Division of New 

 South Wales; Victoria; South Australia. 



REMARKS. -Baron von Mu3ller was inclined to consider this species a vaii'ty of E. licmiflilnin, F.v.M., 

 but in the field the two trees are never confounded. " White Box " has a pale-coloured, hard, close-grained timber, 

 which is highly prized for its durability, whilst the timber of E. hciniplthia is often of poor quality. The size and 

 shape of the fruits, and the form of the leaf, differentiate that species from E. alia it,-, and the fruits at once differentiate 

 this species from E. Woollsiana, R.T.B. 



ESSENTIAL OIL. Leaves and terminal branchlets for distillation were 

 obtained from Rylstone, N.S.W., in June, 1900. The yield of oil was o-n per cent. 

 The crude oil was orange-brown in colour, and had a secondary odour of aroma- 

 dendral, of which constituent it contained a good quantity ; in fact, the resemblance 

 between this oil and those from E. hemiphloia and E. Woollsiana was most marked. 

 The oil contained a fair quantity of cineol ; pinene was present, but phellandrene 

 was absent. Cymene was detected. The influence of the aromadendral is 

 shown by the high laevo-rotation of the third fraction. The oil of this species 

 has no commercial value at present, even if the yield were greater. 



The crude oil had specific gravity at 15 C. = 0-9044; rotation a D -- 6-5; 

 refractive index at 20 = 1-4679, and was soluble in i volume 80 per cent, alcohol. 

 The saponification number for the esters and free acid was 8-5. 



On rectification, 2 per cent, distilled below 167 C. (corr.). Between 

 167-183, 76 per cent, distilled; between 183-224, u per cent, came over, and 

 between 224-255, 5 per cent, distilled. These fractions gave the following 

 results : 



First fraction, sp. gr. at 15 C. = 0-8950; rotation a D - 5-6. 



Second ,, ,, ,, = 0-9137; ,, 6-1?. 



Third ,, ,, =0-9427; ,, i4'4- 



The cineol, determined by the phosphoric acid method in the first fraction, 

 was 37 per cent., indicating about 30 per cent, in the original oil (O.M.). 



121. Eucalyptus hemiphloia. 



(F.v.M. , Fragm., ii, 62.) 

 Box. 



Systematic. This tree is stated by some collectors to reach 150 feet in 

 height, with a corresponding diameter, but we have never found it to exceed 

 80 to 90 feet, and it is on an average a fair-sized tree; bark persistent, grey, 

 extending to the base of the branches, which are smooth, or with a flaky bark. 

 Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, sometimes up to 5 or 6 inches in length, 



