38 
No. 84. 
Eucalyptus vitrea, R. T. Baker. 
The White-top Messmate. 
(Natural Order MYRTACE^l.) 
Botanical description. —Genus, Eucalyptus (see Part II, p. 33). 
Botanical description. —Species, E. vitrea , R. T. Baker in Proc. Linn. Soc. 
N.S. W., 1900, p. 303. 
A tall tree with a roughish bark, similar to E. amygdalina, Labill., the extremities of the branches 
being smooth. 
Sucker leaves. —Alternate or opposite, with a short petiole or sessile, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate 
lateral veins diverging from below the middle of the midrib, prominent on both sides, 
intramarginal vein removed from the edge, not shining : under 6 inches long, 1 \ inches 
broad. 
Mature leaves. —Narrow lanceolate, about 6 inches long, and 6 to 9 lines wide, petiole short; 
shining on both sides, a dull green when fresh, but drying a light slate colour; lateral veins 
few and almost parallel to the midrib, two generally commencing at the base of the midrib 
and running the whole length of the leaf almost parallel to the midrib. Oil glands very 
numerous. 
Peduncles. —Axillary, short, 2-3 lines, bearing generally from 5-8 flowers. 
Buds .—From 2| to 4 lines long, operculum hemispherical, shortly acuminate. 
Ovary. —Flat-topped. 
Anthers. —Kidney-shaped, connective prominent. 
Fruit .—Hemispherical, about 3 lines in diameter, rim thick, red, slightly convex, shining, pedicel 
about 1 line long. 
Botanical Name. — Eucalyptus, already explained, Part II, p. 34; vitrea, 
Latin, shiny, glassy, vitreous, in allusion to the appearance of the leaves. 
Vernacular Names. —“White-top Messmate,” in allusion to the smooth 
branches and the fibrous butt, reminding buslimen of Messmate (E. obliqua). 
It is also one of the trees called “ Silver-top,” from the glinting of the shiny 
leaves in the sunlight, which causes them to appear silvery. 
Synonyms. — E. vitellina, Naudin, a form first described from specimens 
grown in Prance (see Proc. Linn. Soc., N.S.W., 1903, p. 900), and E. vitrea, R. T. 
Baker, are, in my opinion, closely related (perhaps identical) hybrids between 
E. amygdalina and E. coriacea. Naudin looked upon his species as a hybrid (and even 
suggested the above two parents). I have dealt with this form, and also the 
evidence for looking upon E. vitrea as a hybrid, in my “ Critical Revision of the 
Genus Eucalyptus” (Part VI, pp. 164-1G6). In this work additional illustrations 
of leaves, fruit, &c., are to be found. 
