226 A CONTRIBUTION TO, ETC. 



trees are perfectly distinct, the one having a smooth bark, and 

 the other a fibrous one, similar to that of " Stringy Bark. Fraser 

 reported this tree as attaining the height of 100 feet on Bathurst 

 Plains, but in some places between the Kurrajong and Tomah, it 

 appears much higher. There is a difference between the seed 

 vessel of this Blue Gum and that of the Peppermint, the latter 

 inclining more to an ovoid shape. The wood of E. eugenioides 

 is much used by wheelwrights and carpenters, but it is inferior 

 to the Blue Gum of Cumberland (E. goniocalyx). 



(5.) E, gracilis is Dr. F. Mueller's E. fruticetorum, a small tree 

 or shrub from the desert of the Murray and the Darling, but 

 in different varieties, it is found in the other Australian 

 colonies. 



(6.) E. Jicemastoma is generally called " White Gum," but in 

 some districts, in which the bark is marked with grey patches, it 

 is known as " Spotted Gum." This species sometimes appears 

 half-barked, as the " Blackbut" and "Box," but in most instances 

 the bark is smooth and white. The tree varies very much in size, 

 being somewhat stunted near the sea, but becoming larger in the 

 interior. In the neighbourhood of Sydney, the flowers and 

 seed-vessels are much larger, than they are farther inland, and 

 this difference led the earlier botanists to make two species, the 

 inland one being called E. micrantha. I had the pleasure of for- 

 warding specimens of both varieties for the Flora Australiensis, 

 and I am happy to find that Mr. Bentham adopts my view of the 

 species. The specific name of this gum was derived from the 

 fact that the rim of the seed vessel is of a dark red colour. This, 

 in some cases, is a guide to the species, but not an infallible one y 

 as some varieties of " Stringy Bark" have a similar rim. The 

 wood of the " White Gum" is very little esteemed, either for 

 practical purposes or for burning. E. hcemastoma was described 

 by Wildenow, and in all probability, it grew on the spot where 

 Sydney now stands. 



(7.) E. uncinata, or Dr. Mueller's E. oleosa, is one of those 

 shrubby species which constitute what is termed the " Mallee 

 Scrub" of the interior. Dr. Mueller says that this shrub is very 

 useful to travellers and especially to the aborigines, since the 

 root runs along for a considerable space, and retains a copious 

 supply of pure water. 



