26 
No. 152. 
Eucalyptus fruticetorum, F.v.M. 
Blue Mallee. 
(Family MYRTACE^E). 
Botanical description. —Genus, Eucalyptus. (See Part II, p. 33.) 
Botanical description. —Species, E. fruticetorum , E.v.M., Miq. in Ned. Kruidk. 
Arch, iv, 131 (1856). 
The amplified description given by Mueller in Eraqm. ii, 57, will be found at 
p. 40, Part xi, of my “ Critical Revision of the genus Eucalyptus.” That work 
also contains the botanical history of the species, including a number of details 
which need not be repeated here. 
The plant has been redescribed by Mr. R. T. Baker in the Proceedings of 
the Linnean Society of New South Wales, Vol. xxv, p. 692, as E. polybractea. 
Following are his words :— 
A glaucous Mallee, with quadrangular branchlets. 
Leaves lanceolate (those on the early shoots lanceolate to oblanceolate), erect, rarely falcate, not 
oblique; narrow, under 6 lines broad, mostly 3 inches long, acuminate, often with a recurved point; 
midrib raised on the underside, giving the leaf a strong resemblance to that of an Olea, not shining ; 
intramarginal vein removed from the edge, lateral veins oblique, spreading, finely marked, only occasionally 
distinctly pronounced ; petiole about 3 lines long. Oil glands very numerous. 
Peduncles axillary, short, 2-3 lines long, angled, with from 8-12 flowers. 
Buds in the early stage of development angular, surrounded by numerous acuminate , glabrous, 
ribbed, whitish bracts, short, 1 to 1| lines long, glaucous. 
Calyx conical, tapering into an exceedingly short pedicel. 
Operculum obtuse, or only very slightly acuminate, hemispherical. 
Ovary flat-topped. 
Stamens all fertile; anthers parallel, opening by longitudinal slits. 
Fruits hemispherical to pear-shaped, 2 lines in diameter, glaucous; rim thin, slightly contracted) 
valves deeply set, not exserted. 
Botanical Name. — Eucalyptus, already explained (see Part II, p. 34) ; 
fruticetorum, the genitive plural of the Latin word fruticetum, a place where many 
shrubs grow, in reference to the way in which this species occurs as a dense growth 
of shrubs. The construction of the word is unusual in botanical names. 
Vernacular Name. —“ Blue Mallee” is a very good name, the bluish cast 
of the foliage being in well-marked contrast to those species with which it is 
usually associated. 
Synonym. — E. polybractea, R. T. Baker. 
