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DESCRIPTION. 



XXXIV. Eucalyptus Consideniana, Maiden. 



A tree of medium height. 



Juvenile leaves. — Narrow-lanceolate, petiolate, soon becoming alternate. A common size is a 

 length of 3 inches with a width of £ inch. I have them, however, both shorter and broader. They are 

 narrower than those of E. Sieberiana, F.v.M., or E. piperita, Sm. Of a rather strong peppermint odour, 

 and often of a silvery appearance. The young branchlets and seedling stems angular. 



Mature leaves. — Commonly oblique and falcate, broadly lanceolate. I have them up to 9 inches 

 in length, and nearly 2 inches iu greatest width ; they are rather thick in texture. Colour equally green 

 on both sides, dull or shiny, blue-green or a bright sap-green. Veins strongly marked, spreading from the 

 base, the intramarginal vein at a considerable distance from the edge, often looped (brachydodromous). 

 " Leaves hang straight down " (Cambage). 



Buds. — Usually clavate and sometimes with pointed opercula. 



Flowers. — Anthers uniform. 



Fruits. —Usually pyriform in shape, often nearly conical, rather more than \ inch in diameter. 

 The valves often well sunk below the rim, but the points of the valves occasionally protruding. Sometimes 

 the rim is slightly domed and the valves rather more exserted. The rim broad, smooth, well-defined, and 

 usually red in colour. 



A medium sized tree with grey tough bark to the tips of the branches, said bark being of that 

 sub-fibrous character well known in Australia as " peppermint," very like that of E. piperita, but very 

 different from that of E. Sieberiana. 



Timber. — Wood pale-coloured, with kino rings, remarkably like that of the common Sydney 

 Peppermint (E. piperita, Sm.). "Soft and ringy ; not nearly so good as Mountain Ash, E. Sieberiana" 

 (Boorman). 



Notes supplementary to the description. 



I name this species in honour of First- Assistant Surgeon D. Considen, one of 

 the founders of Australia. In reviewing the " Historical Records of New South 

 Wales " (Vol. I, Part. 2) in the Sydney Morning Herald of 23rd July, 1892, T 

 drew attention to the fact that Considen's letter, dated 18th November, 1788, to Sir 

 Joseph Banks, is perhaps the most interesting one in the collection to the student 

 of economic botany. From the following passage it would appear that Considen 

 was the founder of the eucalyptus oil industry : " We have a large peppermint tree, 

 which is equal, if not superior, to our English peppermint. I have sent you a 

 specimen of it. If there is any merit in applying these and many other simples to 

 the benefit of the poor wretches here, I certainly claim it, being the first who 

 discovered and recommended them." At this time a bottle of Eucalyptus oil was 

 sent to Sir Joseph Banks by Governor Phillip. I further wrote in the review : " I 

 think that some effort should be made to rescue the name of the first user of 

 Australian plants from oblivion. I trust that at least a species will be named after 

 the pioneer before many months are over." 



I regret that the matter slipped my memory on more than one occasion, but 

 I now dedicate to his memory a species very closely allied to that from which he 

 distilled the first Australian eucalyptus oil. (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. W., 475, 1901.) 



