THE GENUS EUCALYPTUS. 233 



White G-um, and in others of a Grey G-um. In swampy places 

 in the Cabramatta district, this is a very large tree reaching 80 or 

 100 feet in height. When young, the upper branches are 

 smooth, and the lower part of the tree is half-barked like the 

 Box. As it gets older, nearly all the bark falls off. Workmen 

 suppose the Bastard Box to be a cross between the Box and the 

 Grey Gum, as in its youth, it has the appearance of the former, 

 and in its old age, of the latter. The wood is very hard, good 

 for fencing, shafts, poles, cogs, &c., and it is exceedingly durable. 

 Sometimes it grows in company with Grey Gum and the Box, 

 but in some parts of the country, it stands alone. The leaves 

 resemble some forms of the Grey Gum, but the seed-vessel is 

 more hemispherical and has the valves inserted, resembling in that 

 respect the true Box, though the capsules are not so deeply sunk. 

 The little umbels of flowers are either simple, or in axillary or 

 lateral racemes on the upper branches, having the petiole longer 

 than the peduncle, and the operculuin much shorter than in the 

 Box or Grey Gum. The leaves vary in shape, but generally they 

 are lanceolate, two or three inches long, with the nerve removed 

 from the margin, so as sometimes to give the appearance of being 

 three nerved at the base. On this side of the Blue Mountains, 

 the seed vessel is more frequently five celled, but the Yellow Box 

 near Bathurst differs slightly in that respect. The trees, how- 

 ever, appear to belong to the same species, and the wood of the 

 Mountain variety is also reported to be excellent. It is very hard 

 and heavy, and exceedingly durable, being well adapted for posts, 

 but not so well for rails, on account of the difficulty in splitting 

 it. I think that Sir William Macarthur's " Bastard Box," No. 

 13, must be referred to the same species. He remarks, " It is an 

 excellent timber, but the tree is of most unsightly appearance, 

 and almost invariably hollow or decayed at heart before attaining 

 full stature. The wood is greatly prized for plough-beams, poles 

 and shafts of drays and carts, spokes of wheels, &c." In the 

 Mudgee district, there is another variety called " Slaty Gum," 

 which is useful for weather boards, fencing, and wheelwright's 

 work. It is reported to be next to Iron Bark in durability, and 

 does not crack from exposure to the sun. 



(5.) E. hemiphloia is the tree well known to the colonists as 

 " Box," and in many parts of Australia, is widely diffused and 

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