229 



DESCRIPTION, 



CCI. E. radial a Sieber. 



In De Candolle's Prod, iii, 218 (1828). 



For notes on the species, see Part VI, page 152, of the present work. 



The following description is based upon Bentham (B.F1. iii, 202), but by no 

 means literally follows that work : — 



A tree, usually small or moderate-sized, but sometimes attaining a considerable height ; the bark 

 fibrous and persistent, not so fibrous as that of a " Stringybark," and of looser texture than that of a " Box," 

 — of the character usually known in Australia as '' Peppermint," since it was originally observed on trees at 

 Port Jackson whose foliage emitted a peppermint odour when crushed. The fibrous bark occurs only on the 

 trunk, or, at most, on the largest branches. The branches are usually quite smooth or ribbony. 



Juvenile foliage. — Opposite, narrow-lanceolate. Probably all forms have the twigs more or less 

 rusty glandular; sometimes the leaves are in threes. (See fig. 3, PI. 29.) The under side is often purple. 



Mature foliage. — From linear to broadly lanceolate, straight or falcate, mostly acuminate, and 

 2 to i inches long ; when narrow, rather thin ; whan broad, thicker ; the vein's few and oblique, but often 

 inconspicuous, the intramarginal one at a distance from the edge, or rarely near to it. This species varies 

 in the size, shape, and texture of the leaves. The usual shape in New South Wales is lanceolate, or even 

 broadly lanceolate, but the typical form is linear-lanceolate, or even linear, comparatively thick, and tho 

 veins very oblique at the base, not prominent. Sometimes the foliage is quite dense, in other cases it is 

 sparse. The various forms have leaves which have a pleasing, yet strong (sometimes very strong), odour 

 of peppermint, to which circumstance they owe their commonest vernacular name. 



Buds clavatc, often glandular and rough. 



Calyx-tube turbinate, about 2 lines diameter, tapering into a pedicel often as long as itself. 



Operculum hemispherical, shorter than the calyx-tube ; very obtuse, or slightly umbonate. 



Peduncles axillary or lateral, terete or nearly so, with four to eight, and even more, flowers. 



Flowers. — Stamens under 2 lines long, inflected^ in the bud, all perfect; anthers small, with 

 diverging, more or less confluent cells. Ovary flat-topped. 



Fruit. — Subglobose-truncate, usually under 3 fines diameter, but larger in some varieties; 

 slightly contracted at the orifice, the rim flat or slightly concave and rather broad ; the capsule not at all, 

 or only slightly sunk, the valves flat or slightly protruding. 



Figures.- — It does not seem necessary to figure E. radiata Sieb. again, since it 

 has been already figured in Plates 29 and 30, Part VI of the present work. There is a 

 reproduction of De Candolle's drawing of Sieber' s type at fig. 2, Plate 30. while fig. 6 

 of Plate 29 is an original drawing of a portion of the co-type. Still considering Plate 

 29, figures 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 are all referable to E. radiata. 



In addition, a whole plate drawing of the species will be found at Plate 62, Part 

 xvi of my " Forest Flora of New South Wales." It is also figured as E. amygdaUna 

 (typzea) by Deane and Maiden in Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. xx, Plate LV, 



