16 
Botanical Name. — Syncarpia, indirectly from two Greek works, sun, 
together, and karpos, a fruit, in allusion to the heads of fruits which have their 
calyces joined or grown together (connate). This may readily be seen from the 
figure. 
Vernacular Name. —“ Turpentine-tree.” It is so-called because of the 
resinous exudation which flows from between the hark and the wood when the 
timber is cut into. It is an unfortunate name, as it suggests inflammability, and 
turpentine is one of the most uninflammable of timbers. In some districts the 
fresh red-coloured turpentine is called “ red-turpentine ” to distinguish it from the 
chocolate or dark-brown coloured timber known as “ black turpentine.” They are 
the same timber, the latter either being over-matured, or suffering from incipient 
decay. In the Gosford district the name “ silky turpentine ” is applied by timber- 
getters to turpentines in which the bark is thinner and stringy, and the wood com¬ 
paratively light in colour when freshly cut. 
Turpentine timber has scarcely any odour, hut I have known of perfectly 
well-authenticated instances in which men, insisting that turpentine timber is 
so-called because of an odour of turpentine, were obliged by accommodating timber- 
getters who sprinkled their logs with turpentine prior to inspection. 
Aboriginal Names. —The tree was called Booreeali by the Iliawarra blacks 
(Macarthur), Burra Murra by those of the Ulladulla district (Forester Allan), and 
Killa Warra by the Brisbane Water blacks, according to the late Sir William 
Macarthur; “Pearbbie” of those of Frazer’s Island (Queensland). 
Synonyms — 
Metrosideros glomulifera, Sm., in. Trans. Linn. Soc., iii, 269. 
Tristania albens, A. Cunn., in Bot. Reg. under n. 1S39; DC., Trod., iii, 210. 
Kamptzia albens, Nees., in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur., xviii, Suppl., Praef., 9,1.1. 
Metrosideros procera and M. propinqua, Salisb., Trod., 351 ? 
The distinction between the genera Syncarpia and Metrosideros is so 
important, as a matter of classification, that I propose to clearly state the case. 
Turning to Bentliam and Hooker’s Genera Tlantarum, vol. i, p. 691, we have— 
Syncarpia .—Flores in capitula globosa pedunculata conferti v. coaliti. 
Stamina libera. Ovula l-oo, erecta. 
Metrosideros. —Stamina libera, exserta. Ovula °o- seriata, horizontalia v. 
ascendentia, placentam dense obtegentia. 
