37 



" Yellow Jacket. Medium-sized trees of 30-40 feet. Stems of 1-4 feet in 

 diameter, but never more than 15 feet or so of milling timber, it being generally difficult 

 to obtain more than posts and rails, its principal use. Wood dark brown in centre, 

 pale yellow sapwood. Flaky bark, from base of stem up to branches, having a yellowish 

 appearance." Beta (J. L. Boorman). 



Still a little further, on the same line, viz., at 323 miles from Rockhampton, we 

 have a specimen of the type of E. Leickhardtii, which came from Alice, Central Railway 

 (W. Pagan, through F. M. Bailey). 



In considering the range of the species, it is necessary to study the notes on 

 Leichhardt's Rusty Gum, which follow. 



The Rusty Gum of Leichhardt : — ■ 



Not a mile further on [from his Acacia Creek] we came on a second creek, with running water, which 

 from the number of Dogwood shrubs (Jacksonia), in the full glory of their golden blossoms, I called 

 Dogwood Creek. The creek came from north and north-east, and flowed to the south-west to join the 

 Condamine. The rock of Dogwood Creek is a fine-grained porous Psammite (clayey sandstone) with 

 veins and nodules of iron, like that of Hodgson's Creek. A new gum-tree, with a rusty-coloured scaly 

 bark, the texture of which, as well as the seed-vessel and the leaf, resembled Bloodwood, but specifically 

 different . . . (Leichhardt's " Overland Expedition to Port Essington," p. 20.) 



These are the specimens of Leichhardt referred to by Mueller in the " Eucalypto- 

 graphia," under E. eximia, as probably referable to that species, but they, belong to 

 E. peltata. Dogwood Creek is a little to the south of Dulacca Railway Station on the 

 Western Railway. 



If we peruse Leichhardt's work we find other references to Rusty Gum. Perhaps 

 the following are the whole of them. 



At the junction of the Suttor and Cape Rivers, he says, " The country back from 

 the river is formed by flats alternating with undulations, and is lightly timbered with 

 Silver-leaved Ironbark, Rusty Gum, Moreton Bay Ash and Water-box. The trees 

 are generally stunted and unfit for building . . ." (p. 195). 



At p. 208, approximate latitude 20° 8' 26", which would bring us to, say, the 

 Charters Towers group of localities, " The ridges were covered with Rusty Gum and 

 Narrow-leaved Ironbark." 



Then we have, " A new Eucalyptus with a glaucous suborbicular subcordate 

 leaf, and the bark of the Rusty Gum; a stunted or middle-sized tree, which grew in 

 great abundance on the ranges" (p. 230). Mr. Cambage tells me that the locality 

 referred to is on the Burdekin River, below Grey Creek, but above the Perry and Clarke 

 Rivers. Roughly 100 miles north-west of Charters Towers, or 100 miles south-east 

 of Einasleigh, or 50 miles south-west of Stone River. The suborbicular, subcordate 

 leaves may, of course, refer to peltate leaves, which are more abundant on some trees 

 than on others. On the other hand, Leichhardt calls it a " new Eucalyptus," and he 

 therefore probably thought it different from the trees he usually calls Rusty Gum. 

 On the other hand, it may represent trees with an inordinate proportion of juvenile 

 leaves. The species of Leichhardt's, p. 230, is therefore doubtful. 



