61 



Eucalyptus Muelleriana, Howitt. 



The Yellow Stbingybakk. 



Botanical Name. — Muellerianaj in honour of the late Baron von Mueller, 

 Government Botanist of Victoria. 



Vernacular Names. — Called " Yellow Stringybark " in Gippsland, because 

 the bark is very yellow when freshly cut; the timber is also yellowish. 

 Occasionally it goes by the same name in coastal N'ew South Wales. 



At one tinie I hoped that this yellowness (where evidence of its presence 

 is available) might be a useful diagnostic character. It is certainly useful 

 sometimes, but it breaks down in that it is observable in E. eugenioides 

 and other species. The presence of this colouring matter in various trees 

 is worthy of investigation by the chemist, as it may be of some aid to 

 diagnosis not clearly understood at present. 



At Wingello, in the Goulburn district, it goes by the name of " White 

 Mahogany," but it must not be eonfusedi with the true White Mahogany, 

 ,E. acmenioides ; in the coast districts it is sometimes called " Blaekbutt," 

 like E. pilularis, to which it is closely related. 



Sometimes in Northern New South Wales, it goes under the name of 

 " Mountain Stringybark," and in other localiti(?s simply " Stringybark," and 

 .also- " Messmate." 



Baric. — More or less fibrous on the trunk. Sometimes the branches are 

 quite smooth, at others covered, more or less, ■with fibrous bark. The 

 texture of the rough bark also varies, sometimes it is rather compact, like 

 that of the common Blaekbutt ; in other trees it is densely fibrous, and well 

 worthy of the name of Stringybark. 



Timher. — It is a valuable fissile timber, to all intents and purposes identical 

 with Blaekbutt ; fhat will be its best description. 



In New South Wales it is valued for building purposes, being used for 

 'flooring and weatherboards, &c. Timber-getters describe it as " a very clean 

 timher." 



The timber of this tree is usually darker in tint thau E. piperita. It is 

 fissile, free from gum veins or shakes, clear in the grain, and enjoying a great 

 reputation for durability. It is used for fencing and sawing, and, according 

 to Mr. Macalpine, of Yarraville, who has lived for forty years in South Gipps- 

 land, fences are still standing with posts split from this eucalypt, which have 

 been from thirty to forty years In the ground. I have, myself, observed posts 

 of this timber standing in fences at Woodslde since 1859. The local name of 

 this, tree is "Yellow Stringybark."— (Howitt, Tram.s. Roy Soc. Vict., 1890.) 



The late Mr. Clement Hodgkinson, a Commissioner of the Melbourne 



'Harbour Trust, interested himself in ascertaining the value of the timber 



of the Yellow Stringybark, and there is no doubt that it is one of the 



best Victorian timbers. Following are extracts from Mr._ Hodgkinson's 



report to the Harbour Trust, of the lYth January, 1891 : — 



The Inspector-General of Public Works having (on the 6th December last, in 

 reply to a letter from me to him on the 23rd November) informed me that the 

 piles of the Welshpool Jetty were driven during 1859, and that, after the 

 recent burping of that jetty it was repaired, " the stumps of the piles were 

 found to be in such excellent preservation that they were not withdrawn, but 

 iBhort pieces were spliced on," my colleagues and myself were able to obtain 

 : specific and reliable evidence to the effect that these piles were Yellow Stringy- 

 bark, cut during August, 1859, and driven during that year. We carefully 



