EUCALYPTUS MACEOERHYNCHA. ?: 



F. V. M., First General Eeport, p. 12 (1853) ; Bentliam flora Australiensis iii. 207 (1866) ; F. v. M., fragmenta 



phytographise Australiae xi. 45 (1878). 



The ordinary Stringybark-tree of Victoria. 



Finally tall ; leaves scattered, elongate- or sickleshaped-lanceolar, rarely verging into an 

 almost oval form, equally green on both sides, with very subtle much concealed oil-dots ; their 

 lateral veins moderately spreading, the intramarginal vein distinctly removed from the edge ; 

 umbels solitary or slightly paniculate, on cylindrical on somewhat angular stalks, bearing from 4-9 

 flowers ; tube of the calyx tapering into a conspicuous stalklet, ohconic-hemispherical ; lid from a 

 dilated base sharply and concavely attenuated into a sJwrt awlshaped often curved apex or some- 

 times almost conical towards the summit, about as long as or somewhat longer than the tube, 

 neither of them longitudinally angular, but at their junction mostly forming a prominent trans- 

 verse sutural line ; stamens all fertile, inflexed while unespanded ; anthers cor date-kidney shap ed ; 

 stigma not broader than the apex of the style ; fruit-calyx almost hemispherical, not much longer 

 than the amply protruding very convex vertex; valves wliolly exserted, 3 or less frequently 4 in 

 number, shorter than the broad rim ; the sterile seeds not very narrow, all without appendage. 



On comparatively sterile ridges and ranges, chiefly of the silurian-formation, widely and 

 often gregariously distributed through much of the wooded country of Victoria, for instances 

 towards the Upper Yarra and in the Dandenong-Eanges ; thence to the mountains of Gippsland 

 easterly, to the Mitta-Mitta and Hume-River northerly, the Avoca and the Pyrenees westerly 

 and towards Cape Otway southerly in our colony, but reaching also the western slopes of the 

 main coast-ranges of New South Wales. 



Both this species and E. capitellata pass as " Yangoora " among the aborigines of Gippsland, 

 according to Mr. Hewitt's annotation. 



This Stringybark-tree cannot rival in height with E. obliqua (our Messmate-tree and the 

 ordinary Stringybark-tree of South Australia and Tasmania), nor does it generally ascend the 

 mountains to the high elevations reached by E. obliqua, although both species occur often inter- 

 mingled. The wood is hard and mostly tinged with a deeper red-brownish coloration, but occurs 

 also pale-colored ; it is durable and easily flssile into fence-rails, shingles, palings and very useful 

 for all purposes, for which rough split timber is required above ground ; it is also sawn into weather- 

 boards and scantling and famishes as well a fair fuel. The thick fibrous bark, which is persistent 

 as well on the branches as on the stem, when removed in large sheets and levelled and dried under 

 some pressure, is extensively used for roofing primitive huts, sheds and stables in districts where 

 the tree occurs ; for this purpose it will last about twenty years. The bark outside is of a squalid 

 or dark-grey color, deeply fissured by longitudinal or somewhat oblique furrows, reminding of that 

 of the Ironbark-tree ; the inner layers are so tough as to become available for rough tying ; it is 

 less fibrous and fragile, but more solid and more deeply furrowed, than that of E. obliqua. 



The specific gravity of the seasoned wood is about 1-020 or 63^ lbs. for the cubic foot. The 

 stems of the seedlings have a peculiar roughness from warty glands beset with minute tufts of 

 hair, not observable in the generality of the Victorian Eucalypts except E. capitellata ; but for 

 extensive observations on these characteristics I have since years not enjoyed any facilities in 

 cultural ground and appliances ; the leaves of young seedlings are opposite or soon some scattered, 

 short-stalked or sessile, from cordate-ovate to finally lanceolar. A variety occurs with fruits on 

 very short or even without stalklets and of lesser size than those delineated. 



