324 



DESCRIPTION. 



XXXVI. Eucalyptus siderophloia, Benth. 



(B.Fl. iii, 220.) Ee-described by Mueller in the " Eucalyptographia," witli a plate. 



Notes supplementary to the description. 



A "coarse" species — that is to say, having coarse foliage, coarse fruits (as 

 compared with the other Iroabarks, paniculata and crebra), and coarsely furrowed 

 bark. Altogether a very sturdy tree, reminding one, ia this respect, of the British 

 Oak. 



The buds are often, when young, of the " egg in egg-cup " shape — that is to 

 say, the operculum is of noticeably less diameter than the calyx. The fruits have 

 exsert valves, which is usaallv quite sufficient to distinguish this from other 

 Ironbarks. 



The " She Ironbark " (Woolls) given as a name for this species in the " Flora 

 Australiensis " arose from a mixture of specimens of E. paniculata with those of 

 JE. siderophloia from Parramatta. 



There is a Brachyscelid gall common on the leaves and branclilets of this 

 species, which Mr. W. W. Proggatt tells me is Opisthoscelis llaskelli, Froggatt. 

 It has been found at Homebush, Newcastle, Maitland, Stroud to Gloucester, &c. 

 I have never found it on any other species of Eucalyptus, and it, therefore, has 

 some diagnostic value, in the present state of our knowledge. 



Varieties. 



(1.) Var. (?) rostrata, Benth. Operculum -| to ^ in. long; capsule valves 

 more prominent — Port Jackson, "Ironbark" R. Brown, Caley ; "Greater Iron- 

 bark," Backhouse ; "Large-leaved Ironbark," JFoolls (B.Fl. iii, 220). 



I find JE. siderophloia on the whole very uniform in character. It is a 

 rostrate budded species, with a certain amount of variation in the length of the 

 operculum, it is true, and which Bentham allows. 



I have Woolls' sjiecimens labelled by him var. rostrata, and they are the 

 ordinary form. All Port Jackson speciniens are rostrate-budded. It is rostrate- 

 budded to Central Queensland. I- agree with Bentham in his doubt as to the value 

 of the name var. rostrata, and go further and say that it is a name whose use can 

 only result in confusion. 



[Specimens Avhich most literally conform to Bentham's original description of 

 E. siderophloia arc some mixed ones of E. paniculata' and E. siderophloia collected 

 by Woolls at Parramatta. 



The description also applies more or less well to the Paddy's Hill, Woy Woy, 

 Taree to Wollamba, and Port Macquarie speciniens referred to under " Kange." 



