107 



above the middle, and approaching E. urnigera in form. Operculum almost as long as the calyx t 

 broader than it. conical, sharp. Capsule size of a pea. obovate-oblong or obovate-obconie, terete, 

 with a narrow, not thickened mouth, and valves sunk below its rim. This well known tree yields the 

 cider of Tasmania, which flows in spring from incisions in the trunk. 



Bentharn then described it in B.F1. iii, 246. Mueller in the " Eucalypto- 

 grapbia "figures E. Gunnii and notes E. acervula Hook. f. as a synonym. In this he was 

 followed by most Australian botanists for a number of years, but they are now generally 

 looked upon as distinct. 



Mueller's plate is a composite one, and. as usual, the component twigs are not 

 marked by numbers. The twig to the left with buds and unripe fruits and that to the 

 right, with fruits alone, are E. Gunnii. The central and largest twig of the plate, showing 

 buds, flowers, and fruits, and the large juvenile leaf at the back, are E. acervula Hook. f. 

 The juvenile leaves at the right hand top corner may be (though it is not typical) 

 E. rubida. and the small twig, showing buds, at the left hand top corner, may be an 

 aberrant form of that species. 



Turning to the description, it is a mixture of E. Gunnii and E. acervula, and the 

 same applies to the localities in the next paragraph, and to the general account, which 

 follows. The plate and the description of E. Gunnii (so called) are amongst the 

 most unsatisfactory in Mueller's admirable work. 



The sap of the tree. E. Gunnii is remarkable as being the principal Eucalypt 

 to yield a sweetish sap in abundance. Following is an early account, by Gunn : — 



The Tasmanian shepherds and stockmen cut with an axe into the tree about 5 or 6 inches, inclining 

 the cut downwards so as to hold about a pint. The sap flows into this hole from above and below, and 

 when first made fills at least once a day, but later in the season yields less, and ceases altogether. The sap 

 is drunk as it comes from the tree. Some trees yield sap of a very thin consistency and slightly acid, and 

 others again yield a sweeter, and as thick as syrup. 



The above is a character of the species, and as such it is inserted at this place; 

 a fidl account of the sap will appear in my " Forest Flora of New South Wales " 

 (under E. Gunnii). 



SYNONYMS. 



1. E. ligustrina Miq. in Xed. Kruidk. Arch, iv, 134, but probably not of DC. 



Until such time as a properly authenticated specimen is compared with both 

 E. Perriniana F.v.M. and E. Gunnii Hook. f. one must be content with making the 

 reference. 



2. E. Gunnii Hook, f., var. glauca Deane and Maiden (in part). See Proc. Linn. 



Soc. N.S.W. xxiv, 464 (1899). 



B 



