Ill 
No. 96. 
Cryptocarya erythroxylon, Maiden and 
Betehe. 
(NEW SPECIES.) 
The Red-wooded Cryptocarya. 
(Family LAURACEyE.) 
Botanical description. —Genus, Cryptocarya. (See Part III, p. 72.) 
Botanical description.— Species, C. erythroxylon, sp. nov. 
A large and fine-looking tree, 12 or more feet in girth ; the barrel is lengthy 
and exceptionally round. (W. Dunn.) 
Leaves broadly lanceolate to ovate oblong (usually 3 to 4 inches long and 1^ inch wide), margin 
entire, undulate, coriaceous, dull green above, more or less glaucous underneath; 
penniveined, the secondary veins prominent; finely reticulate, especially prominent on the 
underside. The leaves crowded at the ends of the branches in young trees. 
Flowers numerous, pedicellate, in thyrsoid panicles shorter or longer than the leaves, the upper 
ones often forming a large terminal panicle. Almost glabrous, less hairy than C. microneura ; 
the panicle denser, and with more numerous flowers. 
Perianth scarcely 1 line long, hoary pubescent, constricted a' out the middle ; the segments about 
as long as the tube, or rather longer. 
Staminodia. —The inner row -cordate, the outer row irregularly spheroid. 
Fruiting perianth ovate, rather pointed; shining black, about f inch long by | inch broad. 
Acacia Creek, Macpherson Range, N.S.W. (W. Dunn). 
Affinities.— C. erythroxylon is nearest allied to C. ylaucescens, hut differs in 
the fruit, and minor characters; it is equally different distinguished from C. 
microneura. Thus we have :— 
C. ylaucescens. — Fruits always depressed ; leaves frequently, but not always glaucous 
underneath ; ivood white. 
C. microneura. — Fruits globular ; leaves green on both sides, very prominently reticulate; 
wood white. 
C. erythroxylon. — Fruits ovate, rather pointed', more elongated than the preceding ; leaves more 
or less glaucous underneath, much reticulate; wood red. 
They maybe regarded as forms of one species, i.e., C. ylaucescens (Bentham’s 
view), but as C. microneura lias been separated again, we cannot logically unite 
C. erythroxylon witb C. ylaucescens. 
We, indeed, think Bentham has included too many forms under C. ylaucescens, 
some of which are at least strongly marked varieties. 
Botanical Name. — Cryptocarya, already explained (see Part III, p. 73); 
erythroxylon, from two Greek words, erythros, red, and xylon, wood, the wood being 
