EUCALYPTUS TESSELLARIS. 



P. v. M. in the journal of the Llnnean Society iii. 88 (1858) ; Bentham, flora Australiensis iii. 251 ; F. v. M., select plants 

 for industrial culture, Indian edition 120 (1880) ; New South Wales edition 130 (1881) ; German translation 

 (Auswahl ausser-tropischer Pflanzen) by Goeze 155 (1883) ; Bailey, synopsis of the Queensland flora 180 (1883) ; 

 E. viminalis, Hooker in Mitchell's tropical Australia 157 (1848) ; E. Hookeri, F. v. M. in the journal of the lannean 

 Society iii. 90 (1858). 



Finally tall; branchlets slender, glabrous, towards the summit angular; leaves scattered 

 elongate- and narrow-lanceolar, slightly sickleshaped, of equal color on both sides, narrowed into 

 a rather short stalk, finely pennate-veined, the circumferential vein rather close to the edge of the 

 leaf; oil-dots concealed or evanescent ; umbels terminal and chiefly axillary, two or more together 

 in short panicles or rarely solitary, usually 2-4-flowered ; primary and secondary stalks thin, 

 somewhat angular, all short ; stalklets variously shorter than the calyx ; lid patellar or depressed- 

 hemispherical, as broad as but three or several times shorter than the almost semiovate or some- 

 what bellshaped-conical tube of the calyx ; stamens all fertile, inflexed before expansion ; anthers 

 oblong-oval, opening by longitudinal slits ; stigma not broader than the summit of the style ; 

 fruits hemiellipsoid or truncate-ovate or slightly bellshaped, three- rarely four-celled, not angular ; 

 rim thin, extending considerably beyond the very short valves; fertile seeds almost fiat, grey-brown, 

 margined by a, narrow membrane, very much larger than the sterile seeds. 



From near the south-eastern shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria (F. v. M.) to the vicinity of 

 Moreton-Bay (Dr. Leichhardt), extending to some of the central regions of Australia, thus 

 occurring near the Finke-Eiver (Rev. H. Kempe), traced north-eastward to Fitzroy-lsland 

 (0. Moore). 



A tree, generally of middle size, but also tall in many places. Bark totally persistent on the 

 lower part of the stem only, there dark-colored and by longitudinal and transverse fissures broke 

 up into small angular masses ; hence the specific name ; the rest of the stem and the branches 

 ashy-grey and smooth, rarely the whole stem so to the base. Foliage comparatively dense ; the 

 ultimate branches drooping. Leaves of rather thin sometimes almost chartaceous consistence, 

 attaining a length of 7 inches and perhaps more, varying in breadth from to 1^ inches, light 

 green, not much shining, exceptionally broad-lanceolate, not rarely somewhat undulated, veinlets 

 closely reticulated ; umbels containing sometimes as many as six flowers. Umbel-stalks 

 occasionally very much abbreviated. Stalklets rarely as long as the calyx. Flower-buds not 

 seldom verging into a pearshaped form. Calyces shining. Lid sometimes slightly iimbonate. 

 Sutural line between lid and calyx-tube early defined. Fruit not so hard as that of most species. 

 Seeds more quickly shedding than those of many other Eucalypts. Fertile seed l-2 lines long, 

 oval-roundish ; sterile seeds mostly ^ line long, but nearly as broad. 



Colonists design this tree as the " Moretou-Bay Ash," and under that name it is repeatedly 

 mentioned already by Dr. Leichhardt in the diary of his first memorable expedition. Sir Thomas 

 Mitchell, while observing this tree on Fitzroy-Downs in 1846, took also notice of the peculiar 

 fissuration of the lower bark. The aborigines on the Nogoa call it " Corang," those near 

 McDonnell-Range " Ilumba." The specific name is derived from the peculiar manner, in which 

 the persistent portion of the bark breaks up into small often almost quadrangular pieces. 



This species shares in some of the characteristics of E. trachyphloia, but irrespective of the 

 discrepancies of the bark differs already in the uniform coloration of the leaves, which latter are 

 also generally longer, are less pointed and show more distinctly the venation ; moreover the 

 inflorescence is less expanded ; the lid is larger and separates by a more sharply defined sutural 

 line from the other portion of the calyx ; the fruits are also of greater size, though less hard ; the 



