157 



of Gimlet tree. The trunk, moreover, is tall with a much branched head. Bark smooth, shining, ash- 

 coloured, and the same time brownish or greenish, not whitish when rubbed as in E. redunca (E. accedens 

 W.Y.F. is really meant. J.H.M.). 



Branchlets slender, petioles |-§ inch long. 



Leaves attaining a length of 6 inches, and a breadth of f inch. 



Peduncles | inch long or slightly longer up to 2 lines broad. 



Flowers 7 or fewer in an umbel, the tube of the flowering calyx 1J-2 lines long, gradually tapering 

 into the pedicel and not angled. 



Operculum smooth, shining, yellowish or brownish. 



Stamens fairly numerous, anthers J— J line long. Pollen grains obtuse-tetrahedral, smooth, style 

 shorter than the stamens, stigma truncate. 



Fruit almost 3 lines long and broad, margin of the orifice narrow and flat, valves apiculate. Fertile 

 seeds scarcely exceeding J line. The sterile ones for the most part shorter. (See also " Affinities.") 



The whole stem often twisted like a gigantic corkscrew, less like a gimlet. Gimlet 

 saplings are thin and graceful. 



Everybody now calls it " Gimlet," but an old sailor (Captain J. Lort Stokes, 

 R.N., in his " Discoveries in Australia," ii, 133, 1846) called it " Cable Gum," and 

 gave the native name as Gnardarup. He speaks of its trunk " like several stems twisted 

 together, abundant in the interior." 



Mueller speaks of it attaining a height of 150 feet; I would like to see this figure 

 authenticated by a surveyor or other person accustomed to make measurements. 



Mueller (" Eucalyptographia " ) speaks of " Branchlets sometimes with a white 

 bloom." In Fragm. XI, 12, he points out that the subjacent bark is brownish or 

 greenish, which are, indeed, the usual colours one observes in Gimlet trees. They have 

 a pecuhar olive green hard bark (reminding one of E. stellulata of the east a little). 



Many Gimlet trees have short uniform ribbons all up the trunk; they stick out, 

 and such gimlets are termed " feathery." I particularly noticed this on the Kurrawang 

 wood-line. 



Mr. H. G. Smith has some notes on the tanning value of this bark in the Journal 

 of Agriculture, W.A., 20th April, 1905, p. 219, as follows : — 



The tannin of the " Gimlet" strongly r3sembles that from the '' Salmon Gum" (E. salmonophloia) 

 and is of very good quality. Unfortunately the bark of this species is thin. The leather tanned with it, 

 however, would be of a light colour, and its action on hide also fairly rapid. The amount of soluble non- 

 tannin is greater than with the barks of the other species tested, but this might be found to improve in this 

 respect if collected at other times of the year, or in different localities. Although thin, yet the bark of the 

 " Gimlet " may be considered of some, value, and might be used with advantage by local tanners. It soon 

 dries, and when dry readily powders, as it is not at all fibrous. It is a hard, close bark, very thin, brownish 

 to grey externally. Much of it did not exceed two millimetres in thickness, and the thickest was only five 

 millimetres. The thickest bark had occasionally a layer of kino. The bark is brittle and readily powders. 

 In appearance it much resembles the " Salmon Gum," but is not so fibrous. 



Total extract, air-dried bark = 30"5 per cent. 



Tannin „ „ = 18-6 ,, 



Non-tannin „ ,, = 11-8 ,, 



Moisture ,, „ = 9-7 „ 



D 



