43 



DESCRIPTION. 



CCXXXIL E. hybrida Maiden. 



InJourn, Roy. Soc. N.S.W., xlvii, 85 (1913). 

 Following is the original description : — ■ 



Arbor erecta, altitudine circiter 50 pedes. Cortex cinerea, lac vis, corrugata. Lignum pallidum 

 durum. Folia matura lanceolata vel late lanceolata, pallida virentia, tenuiora, circiter 8-12 cm. longa, 

 vena peripherica margini approximata, venis latcralibus patentibus. Flores in breve panicula corymbosa, 

 quaque plerumque 3-6 flora. Calycis tubus conoideus. Operculum acuminatum, calcis tubo aequilongum. 

 Fructus cylindrico-conoidei, circiter 6 mm. lati, in orificium leniter contracti, margine tenui. Valvarum 

 apices plusve minusve depressi, orificium rare tangentes. 



An erect tree of about 50 feet high, the tips of the branches smooth, the butt with a sub-fibrous 

 (peppermint-like) or flaky-fibrous and more or less flat-corrugated bark, greyish or blackish externally, 

 hence some trees have been described as " Black Box." 



Timber pale-coloured, hard, interlocked, and probably valuable. 



Juvenile foliage not seen in the strictly opposite state, but as seen, not different from the mature 

 foliage except in width. 



Mature foliage. — Lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, slightly falcate, acuminate, commonly 8 to 

 12 cm. long. Dull green, the same colour on both sides, rather thin and tough, lateral veins spreading, 

 fine, the intramarginal vein not far removed from the edge of the leaf, oil dots not numerous. 



Flowers. — Peduncles of moderate length, angular, usually in a short corymbose panicle, each with 

 about three to six or sometimes more flowers. Calyx-tube conoid, 5 cm. diameter, often angular, tapering into 

 a short pedicel. Operculum pointed and as long as the calyx -tube. Stamens inflected in the bud, anthers, 

 small, yellow, opening in small slits near the top, filaments at base, and small gland at back, indubitably 

 showing intermediate characters between the anthers of E. paniculala and E. hemiphloia. 



Fruit. — When immature cylindrical, with a rim round the orifice ; when ripe cylindrical to almost 

 conoid, about 6 mm. in diameter, hardly constricted at the orifice, rim thin, tips of valves more or less 

 sunk and rarely flush with the orifice. 



RANGE. 



Type from Concord, Sydney, N.S.W. (Rev. Dr. Woolls, 1890; R. H. Cambage, 

 10th February, 1901). It was originally found in Bray's Paddock, Concord, near 

 Sydney, where I knew of six trees until recently, but building operations may soon 

 exterminate these particular specimens. 



Dr. J. B. Cleland has drawn my attention to a tree on Milson Island, Hawkesbury 

 River (a short distance west of the Railway Bridge), which appears to be identical with 

 that from Concord. E. paniculata Sm. is common on the island, but there is no 

 E. hemiphloia, This suggests that the hybrid originated elsewhere than on Milson Island. 



