EUCALYPTUS STUARTIANA. 



F. v. M., in Bentham's flora Australiensis iii. 243 (partly). 



The " But-But " or Apple-scented Eucalypt. 



Finally tall ; leaves scattered, lauceolar-sickleshaped, shining and equally dark-green on 

 both sides, copiously dotted, but the oil-glands often partly concealed ; lateral veins very thin, 

 considerably spreading, but neither crowded nor almost transverse, the circumferential vein 

 distinctly removed from the edge ; umbels axillary or lateral, with usually more titan three Jlomers, 

 on a slender stalk and with short stalklets ; lid hemispherical, sliyhtly pointed, shining, not much 

 shorter than the semiovate smooth tube of the calyx ; stamens all fertile and inflexed while in 

 bud ; anthers nearly oval, opening by longitudinal slits ; style very short ; stigma slightly dilated ; 

 fruit quite small, semiovate or tops/taped, not angular, with deltoid cxscrted -calces, ofteuer 3- than 

 4-celled ; rim convex, comparatively broad ; seeds small, all without any appendage. 



On rather sandy and moist tracts of country, occupying often low ridges, not rarely in 

 Grasstree (Xanthorrhcea) -country, from the Barwan and Curdie's Inlet towards Cape Otway, 

 from the middle regions adjacent to the Yarra extending to the Dandenong-Kanges and lower 

 (Jippsland, occurring also near Mudgec (Woolls), Cainden and Yass (C. Moore), on the Upper 

 Lachlan-River (Icely), at Berrima (Calvert), in the silurian formation of Adelong (Wilkinson), 

 on the upper Clarence-Kiver (Beckler), seemingly also extending to New England and the 

 Condamine-Uiver ; in Tasmania near Swanport (Story). 



When well developed a middle-sized tree, seldom attaining over 100 feet in height, unless 

 occasionally on river-flats according to Mr. Howitt growing to larger size, of comparatively quick 

 growth, the stem according to Mr. Boyle attaining a diameter of 15 inches in ten years. The 

 main-branches are often widely spreading and less distant and more numerous than in many 

 other Eucalypts, by which means the mass of foliage is rendered rather dense and shady : the 

 branchlets are slender and drooping. The wrinkled brownish lark persists not only on the stem, 

 but also on the primary branches ; it is outside rather scaly than rugged, inside fibrous, whereby 

 a position among the Pacliyphloire (or Inopliloisu) is established for this species ; but the smaller 

 branches are smooth. Stem oftener twisted and gnarled than straight. Wood hard, but splits 

 not well ; it is used for fence-posts of fair durability where the timber of E. rostrata is 

 unobtainable, sometimes employed for rough sorts of furniture, as it takes polish well ; it affords 

 also fair fuel. The flowers and fruits are not produced by this tree in so early a stage as those of 

 many other species ; the stalk of the umbels only slightly or not compressed and not much 

 elongated ; the stalklets sometimes almost obliterated. The lid of the calyx is generally mam- 

 millar in shape, but the apex sometimes also attenuated conically. Stamens almost white. Fruits 

 may be seen in rare cases 5-celled. It is possible, that in this species a smooth-barked variety 

 occurs, as would appear exceptionally to be case, according to the notes of several collectors. 



A difficulty has arisen in giving a systematic designation to this species, inasmuch as in the 

 Nederlandisk Kruidkundig Archiev iv. 131 and partly also in the flora Australiensis iii. 241-242 

 the name and description as well as the notes of localities apply to E. Gunnii ; in the last- 

 mentioned work even a portion of E. Stuartiana as circumscribed there belongs to E. viminalis. 

 But as in the "Educational Collections of Australian Plants" issued in 1876 the specimens are 

 distributed already in the limitation of the species as now here adopted, and as also in Mr. Mclvor's 

 meritorious recent work on the " Chemistry of Agriculture " E. Stuartiana in a chapter on 

 " maintenance, creation and enrichment of forests " is defined according to the views now 



