116 



AFFINITIES. 



1 . With E. populifolia, Hook. 



This is the " Birnbil," "Bibble," or "Poplar-leaved Box." E. populifolia 

 has shiny leaves, usually more fibrous bark, and a brown timber. The leaves on this 

 species, also, vary a good deal in width, as I have shown at pp. 339 and 342 of 

 Part X of this work. The anthers are very different. 



2. With E. Baueriana, Schauer. 



This species has long been confused with E. polyanthemos, which is the best 

 evidence that it is necessary to issue a caution on the subject, e.g., "Wood close- 

 grained and twisted, very tough and so hard as to have given rise to the name of 

 Lignum Vitse for it in some regions of New South Wales " (Woolls). (Mueller in 

 " Eucalyptographia," a passage which really refers to E. Baueriana, although 

 under E. polyanthemos.) As regards herbarium specimens, those of E. Baueriana 

 are less glaucous and often more slaty-looking than E. polyanthemos, leaves thinner, 

 the opercula less pointed, and the fruits more conical and with thinner rims. The 

 forester would not confuse the trees for a moment. The bark of E. Baueriana is 

 woolly up to the small branches, that of E. polyanthemos being usually smooth or 

 ribbony. Tbe timber of E. Baueriana is pale brown or brown, while that of 

 E. polyanthemos is deep red. The anthers are similar. 



3. With E. Rudderi, Maiden. 



A species with narrow juvenile leaves and uniformly lanceolate mature 

 leaves, closely allied to E. polyanthemos. The anthers are similar. See E. Rudderi. 



4. With E. melliodora, A. Cunn. 



Sometimes these two species from bark alone are hard to discriminate. They 

 both may have scaly-box bark at the butt for a considerable distance, thereafter 

 ribbony bark or a " White Gum " appearance. 



The bark of E. melliodora is more persistent than that of E. polyanthemos, 

 the ribbony bark, however, never descending so low down as in the latter. A man 

 might readily be forgiven if he called one polyanthemos tree a Box and another a 

 Gum, and as a matter of fact this is commonly done. 



E. melliodora has a very yellow inner bark and sapwood, with longer and 

 narrower and more pendulous leaves and fewer flowers. The anthers are similar- 

 E. polyanthemos has a white sap and red heart wood. E. polyanthemos has 

 comparatively narrow leaves at the top of the tree. 



