82 



DESCRIPTION. 



LVIL E. sideroxylon, A. Cuim. 



Following is the earliest record I can find of tliis species : — 



At the kiso of the range of hills at Mount Maude some tolerable fair specimens of the Western 

 Ironbark, Eucalyptus sideroxijlon, were noticed, bsing easily distinguished from its congeners by its 

 extreme rugged, furrowed bark, containing, like others of the Eucalypti, a strong astringent gum. 

 (A. Cunningham's MS. Journal, under date 19th May, 1817.) 



Oxley's expedition was then in latitude 33° 25' and longitude 147° 10', i.e., 

 about midway between Conclobolin and Wyalong West. Some of these specimens 

 were distributed with Cunningham's name. 



The next reference I can find is : — 



Gth October, 1846 (near Mount Pluto), .... and among the larger forest trees was a 

 Eucalyptus, allied to, but probably distinct from, the E. sideroxylon, A. Cunn., p. 339 (Mitchell's Trap. 

 Jourii. Austral., 339). 



In the list of plants collected by Mitchell's Expedition, at p. 437 of his work, 

 this plant, referred to at p. 339, is given as E. sidevoxi/lon without any qualification. 

 I have seen the specimens in question, and they ai'e what we know as E. sideroxylon, 

 A. Cunn. 



Then Mueller descril)cd a White Gum under tlie name E. leuco.njlon in 

 Trans. Vict. Nat., i, 33 (1855). See below, p. 88. 



Thereafter, for many years, this " White Gum " was confused with the New 

 South Wales " Ironbark." For exam2)le, Bentham in the Flora Australiensis 

 (iii, 210), who is followed by Bailey in the Queensland Flora. Then Mueller, in 

 Eucalyptographia, continues to confuse the two trees. But in the field they could 

 not be considered identical for an instant. Bentham's description of E. leiicoxylon 

 applies very well to that of E. sideroxylon, but requires to be supplemented in the 

 following points : — 



Juvenile IcasTS 



Bark 



Timber ... ».. 



E. tkhroxylon. 



E. leucoxylon. 



Seedlings linear-lanceolate or linear, 



thenceforward lanceolate. 

 iUlaok, furrowed, and rugged (Ironbark) 



Deep red. 



Cordate or ovate-lanceolate, sessile^ 



glaucous. 

 Whitish or bluish, smooth (White or 



Blue Gum). 

 Pale brown or white (hence the name 



leucoxylon). 



The .species {sideroxylon) may be described in the following words : — • 



A small, mpdiura-sized or even tall tree, often gnarled. (A " Red Ironbark " or '• Mugga.") 

 Bark. — Blackish, deeply furrowed and rugged, usually pulverulent in texture, interspersed with 



blackish kino grains, the general appearance reminding one of a burnt greasy cake, llenoe the name 



"Fat-cs^ke Ironbark." Sapwood externally of a yellowish colour. 



Juvenile loaves. — Narrow-linear to nari'ow-oblong, stalked, glaucous. 



