DESCRIPTION. 



This is the first species of Eucalyptus known to science, it having heen originally 

 collected by David Nelson, assistant botanist on Cook's Third Voyage (1776-9), and 

 described by L'Heritier in 1788. At the time of its collection, and for Ions? after- 

 wards, Tasmania was looked upon as part of Australia ; moreover, like other early 

 species, it was badly described, and the specimens themselves were imperfect and not 

 easily accessible. The result was that it was not recognised, until the sixties, that 

 E. obliqua is the common Tasmanian stringybark. Hooker, in his Flora of Tasmania, 

 was not aware of its identity, and consecpiently in that classical work it is not 

 mentioned, but a new species, E. gigantea, takes its place. 



Following is the original description by L'Heritier: — • 



Eucalyptus. — Periantbiuni : Operculum superum, integerrimum, truncatum. Petalum : Calyptra 

 obverse hemisphseriea, margini calcycis imposita, ante anthesin discedens. 



Filamenta numerosissima, calyci inserta. Germen inferum, turbinatum. Stylus unicus. Capsula 

 subquadrilocularis, apice duntaxat dehiscens. Semina plurima angulata. 



Eucalyptus obliqua, Tab. 20. Habitat in Nova Cambria. Nelson. Guil. Anderson (L'Herit. Sert. 

 Angl, p. IS). 



A reproduction of the figures accompanying the description will be found at 

 Plate 5. 



I have seen a specimen labelled " E. obliqua, V. D. Land., D. Nelson, ex. 

 herb. Lambert " in Herb. Cant. It is in leaf only. 



The following description of E. obliqua from Sir J. E. Smith's " Specimen 

 of the Botany of New Holland," p. 43 (London, 1793) is interesting as an example 

 of the brief descriptions formerly deemed to be adequate, and may be convenient 

 for reference : — 



Eucalyptus obliqua, operculo hemisphserieo mucronulato, umbellis lateralibus solitariis ; pedunculis 

 ramulisque teretibus. Lid hemispherical, with a little point. Umbels lateral, solitary; flower-stalks and 

 young branches round. 



Syn. E. obliqua, Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 2, 157, L'Herit. Sert. Angl. t. 20. 



From the only specimen we have seen of this, which is in Sir Joseph Banks' herbarium, it appears 

 the branches are all round to the very top. General flowering stalks round, the partial ones only slightly 

 angular, not compressed. Bark rough from the scaling off of the cuticle, but this may be an unnatural 

 appearance. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, aromatic, but without the flavour of peppermint. 



