41 



E. OCCIDENTALIS Elldl. 



This species, like some others, is variable alike in height and bark. It may be : — 



(1) An erect, small, or large tree with flat top, hence the name " Flat Top Yate," 



the bark blackish and furrowed (on lower half of the trunk), then flaky or 

 feathery, with black twisted strips, like a French fowl, for approximately the 

 remaining half, then with smooth branches. Timber brown. 



(2) The Mallets, which are smooth-barked trees of medium size, and the bark of 



some of them is used for tanning. 



E. OLIGANTHA Schail. 



A tropical tree about 40 feet in height, with a trunk up to 15 feet, and diameter 

 of 1 foot ; bark greyish, thin and smooth. 



3. RHYTIPHLOLE (Rough Barks). 



These are rough barked all over, that is to say, not half-barked, like the 

 HemiphloiEe. 



In Mueller's original definition (1859) he included Bloodwood trees, Box trees 

 (in part), Peppermint trees (in part). 



In the '' Eucalyptographia," as I have already shown in Part I, he introduced 

 a number of species which are still recognised as Rhytiphloise, but includes the Hemi- 

 phloiae (which he abolishes as such), together with one member of the Leiophloise 

 (E. stellulata), one a South Australian Peppermint (E. odorata), not an eastern one, 

 and large numbers of the Blood woods. Indeed his classification of 1884 is very much 

 worse than that of 1859; it is retrograde. 



In his original group, if Mueller had not cited some examples, it would not have 

 'had to be so much modified now. But his group is still useful (without his examples). 

 He defined it as : ' With wrinkled persistent bark, rather solid." It may be defined 

 as : With certain rough barks, which extend to the tips of the branches, or very close 

 thereto, and not half-way in the case of the Hemiphloiae, and not absent in the case of 

 the Leiophloige. 



The Bloodwood trees must be excluded, as they come better in Section 6 — 

 Lepidophloige. Most of the Peppermints (but not all of them) must be excluded too, 

 and it must be remembered that over sixty years ago we knew less of the Peppermints 

 than we do now. 



It includes a number of trees which the bushmen give separate names to, but, 

 even in the present state of our knowledge, the Rhytiphloise is the least satisfactory 

 of Mueller's six groups. 



In considering the Rhytiphloia?, it is woith emphasising that it is intended to include 

 trees (not otherwise disposed of in the almost natural rough-barked groups of Stringy- 

 barks, Ironbarks, and Blood woods), which have rough bark to the ends of the branches, 

 in contradistinction to the Hemiphloia?. I think it will be found a useful broad group, 



