53 



E. affinis Deane and Maiden. 

 c< Ironbark Box." A tree of moderate size, attaining a height of 80 feet and a 

 diameter of 2 ft. 6 in. 



In appearance it looks half Ironbark and half Box, and has strong affinities 

 to both. Often the butt in old trees is nearly as rough as that of E. sideroxylon, but 

 seldom quite, while the upper part resembles E. hemiphloia var. albens, but in general 

 it has a dark brown, fairly rough bark an inch thick. The bark is thinner and softer 

 than that of E. sideroxylon, but harder and thicker than that of E. hemiphloia 

 var. albens. 



E. Boormani Deane and Maiden. 



'" Black Box." A large tree, a good deal similar in general appearance to 

 E. siderophloia. The bark dark in colour, often very dark grey and even black. In 

 texture scaly, sometimes hard-scaly, and even in parts nearly as rugged as an 

 Ironbark, but never so soft as a Box. The rough bark extends to the small branches. 

 It possesses characters intermediate between E. siderophloia and E. hemiphloia. 



E. hybrida Maiden. 

 " Ironbark Box." An erect tree of about 50 feet, the tips of the. branches 

 smooth, the butt with a sub-fibrous (Peppermint-like) or flaky-fibrous, or more or less 

 flat-corrugated bark — indeed, between the Boxes and the Ironbarks. Evidence is 

 adduced to show that the two species which probably cross to form this interesting 

 species are E. paniculata and E. hemiphloia. Timber pale coloured, hard, interlocked. 



6. LEPIDOPHLOIiE (Barks friable and lamellar). 



Mueller, in 1859, defined this group as lamellar, friable and persistent on the 

 trunk. He quoted as •examples "Melaleuca Gum trees, Mica trees." These are 

 really E. miniata and E. phcenicea. I did not at first understand the meaning of this 

 kind of bark, but subsequently explained it under Part XXII, p. 37. The type is a 

 very brittle bark, with a large number of layers. 



In his 1881 classification he let his two 1859 species remain, and added 

 E. p'dtata, a Queensland Bloodwood or Yellow- jacket. 



I think that the Lepidophloise should have transferred to it the " Bloodwood 

 trees " from the Rhytiphloise. This will render both sections more natural. I think 

 the Lepidophloise might be termed " Flaky barks," but one must be careful not to 

 confuse them with barks which are Gums, and which have part of the butt covered 

 with hardish flakes which are not in comparatively regular scaly pieces. 



They may be divided into two groups : — 



(a) Dark barked, and with red timber. 



(b) Yellow- jackets and other pale barks, with pale timber. 



