20 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



38709 to 38731— Continued. 



of climatic conditions. It is scattered over the southeastern part of 

 Australia, growing there in a great variety of situations. While 

 it prefers moist river bottoms with an equable climate, it will endure 

 much heat, severe frosts, and considerable drought. The red gum 

 furnishes a timber that is very valuable for many purposes. When 

 freshly cut the wood is a rich red color that grows darker as it is 

 exposed to the air. It is close grained, the fibers being interlocked, 

 thus rendering it quite difficult to split. In America the principal 

 uses made of the red gum have been for fuel and for posts. On 

 account of its profuse bloom it is a good honey-yielding tree, both in 

 Australia and in America, (McClatchie, p. 76, 77.) 



38726. Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunningh. Red ironbark. 

 The red ironbark is a tree of medium to large size. It usually 



grows erect, with an even trunk, having numerous side branches, 

 especially toward the top. It never grows to a great height. The 

 bark is the hardest and the darkest of the ironbarks, the color 

 usually being a dark red or brown. It is furrowed and cracked 

 and studded with beads of the kino that exudes from it. The 

 whole appearance of the tree, with its rough, dark bark, its silvery 

 narrow leaves, and daintily colored flowers, is quite distinctive, 

 contrasting strongly with the smooth-barked broader leaved species 

 of the genus. The wood is dark red, very hard, and heavy. 

 The leaves are narrow^ lance shaped, often curved, and usually 

 have a more or less evident silvery surface. The red iron- 

 bark is one of the very useful eucalypts. While the timber 

 is not prized as highly in Australia as that of other ironbarks, 

 it is nevertheless valuable for many purposes. Its principal use 

 is for bridge construction, for railw^ay ties, for girders and large 

 beams in building, for joists, for posts, for the hubs, spokes, and 

 shafts of vehicles, and for a great variety of other purposes w^here 

 strength and durability are required. {McClatchie, p. 80.) 



38727. Eucalyptus vikgata Sieber. 



This is an erect shrub or a small tree with smooth or slightly 

 ribbony bark and pale-colored wood, and it is found along the 

 eastern coast of New South Wales, Australia. The mature leaves 

 are lance shaped, generally about 4 inches long, of a thick, very 

 coriaceous texture, and equally green and shining on both sides. 

 The flowers occur usually six in each head, and the nearly globular 

 fruits are about half an inch in diameter. The timber from this 

 eucalypt is of an inferior quality. A singular fact about this 

 eucalypt is that it does not seem to have any distinctive native 

 name, being usually called scruhhy gum, a name also applied to 

 many other species. (Adapted from J. H. Maiden, Forest Flora of 

 Neio South Wales, vol. 3, p. 85-89, pi. 94.) 



38728. Eucalyptus tereticornis Smith. Flooded gum. 

 This tree attains a good size under favorable conditions, but 



it is commonly not much above 100 feet in height and 6 feet in 

 diameter in Australia. In the Southwest it makes a rapid growth 

 and gives promise of reaching fully the size the trees do in their 

 home. The species thrives under a variety of climatic conditions. 



