40 



DESCRIPTION. 



CCXXX. E. Watsoniana F.v. 



In Fragmenta x, 98 (1876). 



Following is a translation of the original : — ■ 



A tree witli somewhat terete branclilets, leaves sparse, ovate or narrow-lanceolate, ulightly falcate, 

 the same colour on both sides, with rather long petioles, imperforate, veins very divergent, faint and 

 abundant, the two longitudinal veins close to the margin, panicles terminal, few or many flowered, the 

 last peduncles 2-4 flowered, the rather large campanulate-turbinate almcst eccstate calyx-tube the same 

 length as the quadrangular pedicel, the very thick flattish shortly umbonate operculum broader than the 

 smooth calyx-tube, stamens yellowish, all fertile, anthers linear-oblong, dehiscing near the margin, style 

 short, stigma scarcely dilated, fruits large urceolate-campanulate, the sulcate annulate rim slightly 

 descending and broadly encircling the orifice, valves 3-4, deltcid, entirely included, fertile seeds winged, 

 greatly exceeding in size the sterile ones. 



In the mountains near Wigton (Queensland) Th. Wentworth Watson. 



A tree attaining a height of at least 60 feet. Barh (according to the discoverer) persistent, 

 wrinkled and sometimes scaly, red-brownish. Mature leaves 4-5 inches long, 1-1| inches broad, opaque, 

 papery-coriaceous. Peduncles, with pedicels in twos or fours, fairly strong. Calyx-tube (flowering) almost 

 I inch long, often covered with little excrescences. Operculum distinctly broader than the calyx-tube, 

 attaining at least | an inch in breadth, shining, sometimes very depressed and with a rather long umbo, 

 sometimes rather convex and terminating gradually in a short point. The longer of the stamens measuring 

 I inch, greatly exceeding the style. Anthers at least -| a line long. Calyx-tube (fruit) an inch long, slightly 

 contracted below the terminating margin. Vertex of the capsule smooth before dehiscing. Seeds brownish, 

 shining; the fertile ones very much compressed, smooth, 2-3 Unes long, margin acute. The species is 

 called " Blood wood " in its native place. 



In our cultivated specimen the opercula are flat, as shown in the drawing. I 

 do not think I have seen an umbo on them. The only cultivated specimen known to 

 me is in the north-eastern part of the Botanic Gardens, growing with a westerly aspect 

 and on rather shallow soU, overlying sandstone. It is about 40 years old, and was raised 

 from seed of the type received by Baron von Mueller. It is about 50 feet in height, 

 and at 3 feet from the ground the stem is 3 ft. 3 in. in circumference, or 13 inches in 

 diameter. The trunk is single and erect, \vith an umbrageous canopy; the bark is of a 

 dirty pale yellow colour, thick, not furrowed, scaly-fibrous, in thinnish layers. The 

 superficial layers of the bark are deciduous, as in the case of the Yellow-barks. I hare 

 not seen a characteristic piece of the timber, and hesitate to damage our tree, but it is 

 not a dark-coloured timber so far as we can see from small branches. The very young 

 foliage is broadish and triplinerved, sparingly hairy, and not peltate. 



