72 
No. 160. 
Eucalyptus bicolor, a. Cunn. 
Black or Flooded Box. 
(Family M YRTACEvE.) 
Botanical description. —Genus, Eucalyptus. (See Part II, p. 33.) 
Botanical description. —-Species, E. bicolor, A. Cunn. Herb.; Hook, in Mitcli. 
Trop. Austr. 390. 
A large shrub or sometimes a tree of 30 to 40 feet, with a persistent ash-grey or blackish bark 
(F. Mueller, A. Cunningham), or a tall tree with a smooth \*hite bark (Dallachy). 
Leaves lanceolate, narrow or rarely passing into ovate-lanceolate, mostly 3 to 4 inches, but 
sometimes 5 or 6 inches long, not very thick, often glaucous or pale coloured, the veins fine, 
oblique, not close, the marginal one at a distance from the edge and sometimes very prominent 
towards the base of the leaf. 
Flowers small, about 3 to 8 together on short peduncles, the umbels forming usually axillary 
or terminal panicles shorter than the leaves. 
Pedicels shorter than the calyx. 
Calyx-tube turbinate, nearly 1£ lines long. 
Operculum rather thin, hemispherical, obtuse or umbonate, shorter than the calyx-tube. 
Stamens 1 to 2 lines long, all perfect or occasionally a few of the outer ones without anthers; 
anthers small, with 2 small globular cells opening in round pores or short oblong slits. 
Ovary , flat-topped. 
Fruit globular-truncate or pear-shaped, about 2 lines diameter or rarely nearly 3, contracted at 
the orifice, the rim rather broad, flat, or depressed ; the capsule somewhat depressed. 
(B.Fl. iii, 214.) 
Botanical Name. — Eucalyptus, already explained (see Part II, p. 34) ; 
bicolor, a Latin word, signifying two-coloured, in allusion to the fact that pinkish or 
even crimson flowers are often found on this tree intermixed with the greatly 
preponderating white ones. 
Allan Cunningham in his MS. Journal, under date 30th June, 1817, says— 
“ I here gathered specimens of a species of Eucalyptus with flowers in terminal 
panicles of two colours (red and white).” 
Vernacular Names. —“ Black Box,” or “ Flooded Box,” are common names, 
the former owing to the colour of the bark and the latter to the nature of the 
country the tree commonly frequents. For the same reason it is called “ River Box.” 
It is also called “ Drooping Box,” from its habit. 
