559 



Odour. 



Eucalyptus flowers do not, as a general rule, attract attention by reason of 

 their odour (which is usually not unpleasant), although they often flower in large 

 masses. At all events, we do not often sneak of them as " sweet scented." The 

 flowers of E. erythronema are so described by a Western Australian correspondent. 

 Mueller speaks of those of E. microtheca as " agreeably scented." 



A few species of Eucalyptus frequently receive attention because of then heavy 

 odour or even sourness. These seem to be those which grow in deep, undrained, coastal 

 soils, such as E. robusta, botryoides. I would invite the attention of my readers to my 

 ''" Forest Flora of New South Wales," Part lxiv, " Honey and Eucalyptus Flowers," 

 pp. 177-188. 



Staminodia. 



The character of having anantherous stamens must be applied with care because 

 of the fact that anthers, particularly the outer ones, may disappear through accidental 

 circumstances. Bentham first noted that anthers may be absent from the stamens, 

 and Mueller continued the observations. I have not been able to use staminodia in 

 the genus for diagnostic purposes, and do not know of any of my contemporaries who do. 

 I think the character unimportant, with such knowledge as I possess. 



Bentham, 1867.— In his Key to Series I, Renantheraa, Bentham (B. Fl. Ill, 189) 

 says — 



" Stamens all perfect or very rarely (especially in E. viryata) some of the outer ones with abortive 

 anthers." Under E. eoriacea (at p. 201) we have — " All perfect or perhaps occasionally a few of the outer 

 ones with abortive anthers." At p. 214 he notes that the stamens of E. Behriana are " all perfect." 



His Series II, Heterostemones, has " Outer stamens anantherous or small abortive anthers." This 

 includes — 



E. leucoxylon, E. melliodora, E. gracilis, E. bicolor (all perfect or occasionally a few of the ones without 



anthers. Bicolor, p. 216). 

 E. paniculata, E. hmnastoma, E. microcorys. 



Under E. polyanthemos, at p. 214, he says — " All perfect or rarely a few of the outer ones 

 anantherous." 



A footnote (under Heterostemones), at p. 190, reads — 

 " The outer stamens appear also to be anantherous, or with abortive anthers only in E. virgaia, and 

 perhaps occasionally, but only in a slight degree, in some others of the Renantheree, and 

 sometimes, but rarely, in E. bicolor, amongst Poranthero?, but I have never found them so in any 

 of the other species." 



Mueller, 1879-84. In " Eucalyptographia " the species in which it is simply 

 stated " all fertile " have been omitted. 



• -i mens all fertile, except (my italics) some of the outermost inflexed before expansion." — 

 E. acmenioides. 

 E. slricta. 

 E. Todliana. 



" Outer filaments without anthers. "— 

 E. doraioxylon . 



