ie 
Botanical description. Species, C. liminalis Cheel, in Australian Naturalist, 
Sydney, ii, 185 (1913). 
The first publication of this name, as Callistemon, however, is in the Pieface 
to Maiden's " Illustrations of New South Wales Plants," Part iii (1911), in the key 
to the species of Callistemon, when the sub-section Tubuloso-Callistemon is proposed, 
to receive C. viminalis and C. spedosm, which are contrasted thus : 
I. Tubuloso-Callistemon. 
Filaments shortly but distinctly united at the base and cohering into a ring or tube. 
A. Leaves comparatively thin and thickly studded with poroso-punctulate or resinoid oil-glands, 
easily seen if held up to a clear light or if examined by a pocket-lens on both sides of the 
leaves. C. viminalis. 
B. Leaves thick, the oil-glands very obscure. C. speeiosus. 
> A'-. . - 1 i .' . "' ', '. i 
Then we have : 
" Mr. E. Cheel exhibited herbarium specimens, together with a number of fallen flowers of 
Callistemon viminalis Cheel, showing the filaments united at the base into a distinct ring or tube. A 
piece of timber measuring 10 inches diameter, was also exhibited, taken from a tree removed in May last 
from the border in Garden Palace Grounds, along Macquarie-street, which, has now. been dne away with', 
for the purpose of widening the street. 
" Specimens of this species were originally collected by Banks and Solander, when accompanying 
Captain Cook to these shores in 1770, and it was named by Solander in his MS. as M-etrosideros viminalis. 
Solander's name was published by Gaertner in his De Fnictibus et Seminbus Planlarifin, Vol. i,, p, 171, 
and a figure of the fruits is given in the same work on table xxxiv, fig. 4. It is also mentioned by Sir 
James E. Smith in Transactions of the Linnean Society, Vol. iii, p. 272 (1797), who says : ' At first I had 
a suspicion that the Metroside.ros riminalis of Gaertner was the same as his M. salignuy, but having 
examined the original specimens in Sir Joseph Banks' collection, was convinced that they were very 
different, having linear-lanceolate leaves, not tapering at the ends, and with downy flowers.' 
" The name Meirosideros viminalis seems to have been overlooked by both Bentham ajid MueDer, 
48 it is not mentioned in the Flora Australiensis, nor in any of Mueller's works. 
" The habit of this species is so distinct in the field, that there should be no difficulty in 
distinguishing it from other crimson flowering species, as it grows into a fine tree, from 20 to 60 feet, or 
more, in height, and the trunk is usually fairly large, and produces some very useful timber, even larger 
than that of C. salignus. 
" The leaves somewhat resemble those pf C. lanceolatus, but a,rc thinner in texture, and the oi\- 
ghtnds are different, when closely examined. 
" It is interesting to note that the peculiar way in which the filaments cohere at the base into a 
distinct tube, was also noticed by Bentham, who included specimens collected on the ' Pine River, 
Queensland, by Fitzalan, ' with the filaments united at the base,' under C. lanceolatus. 
" These specimens are in the collection at the National Herbarium, Melbourne, and Should be 
now named C. viminalis. . ' . 
" A key to the species of the genus Cattistemon is published in Part 3 of Mr. Maiden's ' Illustrations 
"(if the New South Wales Plants.' ' : (The Australian Naturalist, Sydney, ii, 185 (1913).) 
This, however, is not in itself a full description (although it quotes the old 
descriptions of Solander and Gaertner). Following is a full description : 
A tall shrub or more often a small tree from 15 to 40 feet high, usually with pendulous branches, 
and the trunk covered with a coarse persistent bark which with age becomes somewhat flaky. The 
trunks of some trees measure from 8 inches to 1 foot in diameter. 
