92 



8. Var. minor, Benth. (B.F1. iii, 210.) 



Flowers rather smaller, and often more numerous at the ends of the branches. . . also 



several of the South Australian specimens, "White Gum." 



See above, p. 84. 



The description refers to a mixture of two distinct species, and therefore 

 cannot stand. 



This is doubtless, as regards the South Australian specimens, the var. 

 pauperita, J. E. Brown. See below. 



9. Var. maerocarpa, J. E. Brown. 

 See below. 



10. Var. pauperita, J. E. Brown. 

 See below. 



The late J. Ednie Brown, in his "Forest Flora of South Australia," devotes 

 no less than four of his large plates to E. leucoxylon. They are : — 



(a) " The Blue Gum." This may be taken as the normal form. 



(b) and (c). Var. maerocarpa, J. E. Brown. "The large-fruited Bed- 

 flowering Gum" and "The large-fruited White-flowering Gum," respectively. 

 They differ only in the colour of the filaments. On Mueller's authority he refers 

 his maerocarpa to Mueller's (Miquel's) erythrostema. 



(d) Var. pauperita, J. E. Brown. " The Scrubby Blue Gum." 



In my view, the variety names maerocarpa (see also figs. 11 and 12, pi. 53) 

 and pauperita (fig. 10) can alone stand. 



As regards var. maerocarpa. Mr. Ednie Brown's type specimens have not 

 been preserved, but his figures and the localities " Port Lincoln to tli2 Marble 

 Bange " (where I have visited and collected specimens) make it quite clear to what 

 form he refers. 



Mr. Walter Gill, the Conservator of Forests of South Australia, in the course 

 of conversation, points out to me that, in his opinion, the var. maerocarpa has a 

 different bark to that of ordinary Blue Gum (normal leucoxylon). It grows large, 

 and also Mallee-like. The Port Lincoln specimens are bi-coloured. The variety 

 has a seedling which has a petiole, which ordinary Blue Gum has not. 



The most important character referred to in Mr. Gill's statement lies in the 

 petiole of the seedling, but the figures on Plate 56 show that we have a gradual 

 transition between the normal form and the variety in this respect. In other words, 

 I do not think it would be justified to raise var. maerocarpa to specific rank. 



