167. Eucalyptus virgata. 



(Sieb., in DC. Prod., iii, 217.) 



Systematic. An average forest tree, stated by Rodway to attain a height 

 of over 100 feet ; branchlets glaucous ; bark thick, laminated, running down in 

 ridges, friable, inner portion hard, close, compact, in cross-section, the duramen 

 difficult to determine from the normal wood. Abnormal leaves mostly alternate, 

 petiolate, sometimes glaucous, thin, oval-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, 

 4 to 5 inches long, up to i^ inch broad ; venation distinctly marked, lateral veins 

 not very oblique, intramarginal vein removed from the edge. Normal leaves 

 comparatively small, rarely 5 inches long, mostly from 2 to 4 inches long, up to 

 \ inch broad, lanceolate, shining, sub-coriaceous ; venation inconspicuous, lateral 

 veins well oblique, a few running almost longitudinally parallel from the petiole; 

 intramarginal vein removed from the edge. Flowers on axillary peduncles or 

 in short panicles ; operculum hemispherical, shortly acuminate. 



\. 



Fruit. Pyriform, contracted at the top; rim 

 countersunk ; valves inserted ; up to 6 

 lines long, 3 lines in diameter. 



The differences between E. virgata, Sieb., and E. 

 Sieberiana are found principally in the smaller leaves, 

 countersunk rim of the smaller fruits, timber, and 

 chemical constituents of the oil of the former. They 

 are rather difficult to separate in herbarium material 

 alone. 



Habitat. Springwood, Lawson, Mount Victoria, Blue Moun- 

 tains, New South Wales ; Tasmania. 



REMARKS. From Sieber's specific name there can be little doubt but that he intended his description to 

 apply to a small twiggy Eucalyptus, with exactly the same morphological features (as later researches have shown) 

 as the present "Mountain Ash," E. Sieberiana, F.v.M., and these characteristics of the two species are proved by 

 Bentham's note, B.F1. iii, p. 202, for under E. virgata he states : " I have described this species chiefly from 

 Oldtield's, Woolls', and F. Mueller's specimens; Sieber's appear to be the same, but they are only in the young 

 bud, and therefore uncertain." There is, on the Blue Mountains, a dwarf Eucalyptus, or " Mallee," the 

 herbarium material of which cannot be separated from that of the tall tree, E. Sieberiana, but the chemical 

 constituents of each are quite different. It is very probable that Oldfield's, Woolls', and Mueller's specimens 

 belong to the tall tree, known as " Mountain Ash," and since named by Mueller as E. Sieberiana, whilst Sieber's 

 specimens no doubt belong to the dwarf tree or "Mallee," and, as Bcntham found, quite impossible of separation 

 in dried material. If this is correct, then Sieber's tree only differs in field and chemical characters, and on 

 these we accept Sieber's name for the mountain shrub which has identical morphological characters with 

 E. Sieberiana, F.v.M. 



Our action in regard to this species will, no doubt, be thought to be arbitrary, but we, on our part, think 

 that Oldfield, Woolls, Mueller and others when dealing with type herbarium specimens were in error in supposing 

 that Sieber's specimens and specific name belonged to the " Mountain Ash," E. Sieberiana. Sieber must have 

 collected from a " Mallee " when he bestowed the name E. virgata on his species, and as his specimens almost 

 exactly match those of this larger tree, it would, therefore, be quite easy for Bentham and Mueller also working 

 on these dried materials, to confound these Eucalypts. We were in error ourselves until convinced by the 

 chemical investigation of E. virgata. The results proved conclusively that his views based upon field observations, 

 were quite correct, and we think that the identity of E. virgata of Sieber is now clearly shown. Material of 

 /.'. Luehmanniana, F.v.M., could never have been confounded with this species, as they are so dissimilar. 



In our work on Tasmanian Eucalypts, Roy. Soc. Tas., 1912, we record this species from that Island. 

 where it grows to an average tree size. 



