586 XXVIII. MYRTACEAE 



61. Eucalyptus rudis, Endl. Swamp gum, flooded gum. 



A moderate -sized to large tree with leaves rich in oil. Bark greyish, 

 usually rough and persistent, but sometimes flaking off and leaving the trunk 

 smooth. Wood useful for fueL and also used for posts. Western Australia, 

 on river-banks and around swamps. In California it has proved remarkably 

 hardy to heat and cold, enduring minimum temperatures of 15 to 18"" F,, a,nd 

 maximum temperatures of 110 to 118 F.^ It has been tried since 1909 in the 

 Simla hills, and so far has proved fairly successful at elevations below 6,000 ft. 

 Within recent years it has been tried on the plains of northern India and in 

 the sub-Himalayan tract (Lahore, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Dehra Dun), and has 

 proved extraordinarily successful. A tree situated in the worst plot of land 

 in the Government Agri-Horticultural Gardens, Lahore, attained a height of 

 50 ft. and a girth of 2 ft. 5 in, in four years. '^ This tree formed one of a row 

 of trees groAving vigorously in a patch of saline soil in which the salt- weed 

 {Suaeda fruticosa) could hardly grow, and where all ordinary plants were 

 incapable of living ; at three j^ears of age they averaged 30 ft. in height. ]\Ii'. 

 R. N. Parker,^ in describing these plants at Lahore, notes that for satisfactory 

 growth, E. rudis apparently requires a very dry climate ; the Lahore plants 

 received constant irrigation since they were planted, but an abundance of 

 water is not essential, as in the Kot Lakhpat plantation near Lahore this species 

 is growing remarkably well with only moderate irrigation and with long- 

 intervals between successive watering. This species is doing well at Lucknow, 

 and is reported to be thriving on swampy ground between Lakhsar and 

 Hardwar.'* Flowers October to February (Parker). 



62. Eucalyptus saligna, Smith. Grey gum. 



A tall straight tree mth deciduous rather thick grey bark. Wood very 

 hard, tough, and close grained, used for ship -building, carpentry, &c. New 

 South Wales and southern Queensland, often plentiful on ridges, but also 

 frequent along banks of streams. Said to prefer a deep moist soil and. to be 

 sensitive to drought. In Florida a tree has withstood temperatures of 22 F. 

 without serious injury ; another tree in an exposed situation was bent and 

 dwarfed by the wind.^ It is grown in the Nilgiris (Sim's Park), It has been 

 tried in the Simla hills since 1909, and has done moderately well above 4,000 ft. 

 It grows well on the plains of northern India, but apparently in most of the 

 older reports the name E. saligna has been applied to totally different species. 

 On the other hand, at Lucknow specimens of Avhat were at first considered to 

 be E. resinifera were in 1876 finaUy determined to be E. saligna ; one tree 

 was reported in 1877 to have attained a height of 45 ft, and a girth of 8 ft. 9 in. 

 at 3 ft. from ground-level in ten to twelve years. Recently this species has 

 again been tried at Lucknow, and so far it has proved very promising. It has 

 recently been tried at Mercara in Coorg, and shows some promise. Mr, R, N, 

 Parker ^ notes that on the Punjab plains he has seen this species only in 

 Amritsar, where there are a number of specimens growing remarkably well ; 

 seedlings sown in Lahore in 1912 died off in large numbers during the monsoon, 

 but the survivors were quite healthy and ^ngorous the following year. The 



^ yellers, loc. cU., p, 73. - CJardeii Report, 1914-15, 



^ Iiid, Forester, xl (1914), p, 452. * Report Gov, Bot. Gardens, Saharanpur, 1915-16. 



* Zon and Briscoe, loc. cif., p. 26. ^ Ind, Forester, xxxix (1913), p. 85, 



