EUCALYPTUS CAPITELLATA. 



Smith, in White's Journal of a Voyage to New South "Wales, 216 (1790) ; Smith, a Specimen of the Botany of New 

 Holland 42 (1793) ; Transactions of the Linnean Society iii. 285 (1797) ; Wendland, collectio plantarum, t. 36 ; 

 De Candolle, prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis iii. 218 ; Eippist, in F. M. fragmenta phytographiee 

 Australiee ii. 173 ; E. piperita, Eeiohenbach, Magazin der sesthetischen Botanik, t. 42, according to Bentham. 



Head-flowered Stringybark-tree. Finally tall ; leaves scattered, elongate- or sickleshaped- 

 lanceolar, of comparatively thick consistence, shining on both sides and often more intensely so 

 on the upper page, dark-green, usually very inequilateral towards the base ; oil-dots copious, 

 mostly concealed ; the lateral veins moderately spreading, the intramarginal vein distinctly 

 removed from the edge ; umbels capitate, lateral or axillary, solitary or some paniculate, on 

 angular or almost cylindrical stalks, bearing from 4 to 16 flowers not of large size ; stalklets none 

 or exceedingly short ; tube of the calyx semiovate-obconical, angular, from hardly longer to about 

 twice as long as the hemispheric or convex-conical lid, not very much attenuated at the base ; 

 stamens all fertile, inflexed while unexpanded ; anthers broadly cordate or somewhat kidney- 

 shaped ; stigma not broader than the apex of the style ; fruit-calyx almost hemispherical, with an 

 amply protruding convex vertex ; valves wholly exserted, 4 or sometimes 3 or 5, deltoid, hardly as 

 long as or shorter than the width of the rim, the latter rarely flat ; the sterile seeds mostly not 

 veiy narrow, all without any appendage. 



From the southern parts of New South Wales to Gippsland, as well in the shore-regions as 

 in mountain-elevations, occurring westward at least as far as Lake Bonney. 



From a flowering branchlet, destitute of fruit, sent by Dallachy, it would appear that E. capi- 

 tellata extends northward to Rockingham's Bay. Bark stringy, outside greyish, persistent, reaching 

 far up the branches, the branchlets alone smooth. The tree attains a maximum-height of about 

 200 feet, but as a rule is less tall. Near the south-eastern borders of South Australia it occiirs, 

 as first observed by Dr. Wehl, often in a cripply state, forming dwarf forests on moist sandy 

 ridges or occurring even in the wet Melaleuca-flats or so-called Teatree-swamps. It furnishes a 

 good timber for splitting and all such other purposes, for which Stringybark-wood is drawn into 

 use. 



E. capitellata may occur still further westward, but the distinction of the closely allied 

 E. santalifolia from the vicinity of St. Vincent's Gulf, Spencer's Gulf and even the eastern 

 country of the Great Bight, is as yet not clearly established. 



The young seedlings are rough from glands beset with minute tufts of hair ; the leaves then 

 are at first opposite, but soon scattered, seated on very short stalks ; they are of a narrow oblong- 

 lanceolar form and darker above, thus indicating their horizontal expansion in the early youth of 

 the plant. The number of stomata on the pages of the leaves in upgrown trees is not about equal, 

 as in E. macrorrhyncha, there being often considerably more on the underside than on the 

 surface. From the last-mentioned species, to which it is closely allied, it differs further in mostly 

 smaller flowers, in the blunt or less pointed and generally shorter lid of the calyx, and in the tube 

 of the calyx being visibly angular and not narrowly attenuated into a stalk! et. The extending 

 "convex vertex of the fruit separates E. capitellata and E. macrorrhyncha from all other tall 

 Stringybark-trees. E. eugenioides approaches also closely to E. capitellata, differing chiefly in 

 somewhat narrower leaves of less rigidity, equally shining on both sides, with the oil-dots often 

 more perspicuous, in the calyces being often rather distinctly attenuated into a short stalklet, in 

 the lid usually more pointed and in proportion to the calyx tube also more elongated, in the fruits 



