152 



Having no specimens to spare, I wrote out a brief description of the plant for 

 Mr. H. Hopkins, of Bairnsdale, and asked kim to look out for it. He not only found tke 

 first specimens that had been collected since Howitt obtained the type, but favoured 

 me with the following descriptions, which are worth reproducing, although they overlap 

 somewhat : 



1. A small " scraggy " tree 12 to 20 feet in height, only on moist ground along the very edge of the 

 creek, or on flooded flats where it grows more or less in clumps containing from a dozen to hundreds of 

 slender saplings forming a dense thicket, a mass of dark green foliage, often with considerable bluish 

 '" bloom " on the young branchlets and leaves similar, but not so much so as the blue gum. These clumps 

 are seldom more than 10 or 12 feet high, but up to twice that in diameter. The stems appear to be 

 independent saplings and not suckers from a common crown. The younger shoots and branchlets are 

 frequently, or even commonly quadrangular. The leaves are broad, thick, and opposite, except on the 

 ends of the older branches where they are generally, not always, more elongated, stalked and alternate. 

 On the lower branches, suckers and young saplings, the leaves are frequently sessile, and always opposite. 

 The buds are rather small, in dense clusters, axillary, without stalks, and very profuse. On the older trees 

 the bark, and especially the fruits, are almost black, of a " sooty " appearance, so that the crooked scraggy 

 tree, with its dense leather} - , dirty green or rusty old leaves, is generally a dirty looking object — but the 

 " clumps " apparently of younger trees are bright, green, and beautiful to look upon. The bark on the 

 older trees is slightly fibrous, very thin, and resembles the bark on a 5 or 6 year old sapling of the typical 

 E. amygdalina. Bat the general appearance of the tree with its mixed foliage of coarse leaves, and clusters 

 of fruits resembles the coarser type of E. cinerea. 



From Upper Livingstone Creek, IS miles from Omeo, on the Omeo-Dargo track. 



2. Seldom more than 6 inches diameter, crooked and many branched, with .thin ribbons of bark 

 hanging to the branches and upper part of the stem, on the lower part the bark is " mealy rough," or slightly 

 fibrous, like many "" peppermint " saplings (E. amtjgdalina). It grows only on moist ground and appears 

 to be confined to the very margin of the Creek, and to low flooded flats. In the latter situation it is only a 

 tall shrub growing in thickets or almost circular clumps, perhaps up to a chain in circumference of hundreds 

 of saplings from 1 to 3 inches in diameter and up to 10 or 12 feet high, forming a dense thicket. I enclose 

 a photograph showing these " clumps."' The leaves are dull green or young leaves with a bluish tint — 

 thick and coarse, broad and oval shaped, on suckers ar.d young shoots generally sessile, or almost stalkless, 

 and generally on very short stalks, almost all opposite. The young stems and branchlets are frequently 

 or usually " square " but slender, and often covered with a bluish tint, somewhat like blue gum, but not 

 so strong. Apparently this tree is confined to a small area in the Valley of the Livingstone Creek. I only 

 saw it for about 1 mile in length along the creek, although it may occur higher up. Possibly it may occur 

 in the Valley of the " Wentworth " River, which is only about 5 or C miles distant at th's point, ar.d along 

 other streams in the same zone, but I have never seen it anywhere else. 



AFFINITIES. 



1. With E. Kitsoni Luflmumn. 



It differs in the juvenile leaves. There is a general resemblance in the mature 

 foliage, but the leaves of E. Kitioni are narrower, lanceolate, and more markedly veined. 

 The buds are larger and more angular in E. Kitsoni, while the fruits are considerably 

 different. 



