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Dr. Doth, Bulletin No. 3, North Queensland Ethnography, says :— 
Eucalyptus bicolor , A. Cunn. —A staple article of diet in the Boulia district when grass-seed is 
scarce. With a hooked stick some terminal branches of this tree are pulled down, and, just as they are, 
spread out to dry on a piece of ground cleared for the purpose. Here they lie, according to the heat of 
the sun, for half a day or a day, till sunset or the following morning. The ends of the branches are then 
all collected together, and the seed obtained by damping the distal extremities and brushing them off into 
the water, as in the case of the Sporobolus actinocladus. Before the ultimate drying, however, the seed is 
kept for a couple of hours or so in water, which during this time is repeatedly changed, so as to remove all 
traces of the taste of the gum. After being ground on the proper “ grinding stone ” it is eaten raw. 
Boulia, “ Karrapari.” 
Timber. —Mr. R. J. Dalton, of Wanaaring, says :— 
Box Trees. —There are several varieties of Box; some are good for all kinds of work, while others, 
especially a kind which we call Swamp or Black Box, is very indifferent, not even being good for firewood. 
This is Eucalyptus bicolor. 
The aborigines used to make narrow shields of it. 
It does not appear to be a favourite timber. While used for fencing, it is 
not a favourite, because of its hardness, interlocked and crooked character, making 
it difficult to obtain either posts or rails. It is, however, very durable. 
Size. —A spreading tree of medium size, with a trunk diameter of 2 or 
3 feet; the trunk is, however, not long. 
Habitat. —It seems to be confined to South Australia, Victoria, New South 
Wales, and Queensland. 
From St. Vincent’s Gulf and the Murray River and its lower tributaries, through eastern Australia, 
and particularly its eastern tracts to Carpentaria, at least as far as the Flinders and Gilbert Rivers, but 
reaching also, in some places, the coast tracts. (Mueller, in Eucalyptographia.) 
This reference to “coast tracts” applies, as regards eastern Australia, to 
Queensland solely. E. bicolor is a dry country species, and in central and northern 
Queensland many western New South Wales species approach the coast. It prefers 
rich flats, which are liable to occasional submergence. 
As regards South Australia, I have only seen it from Mannum; but should 
expect to find it with a fairly wide range in that State. 
As regards Victoria, it is not rare in the north-west. Following are 
descriptions of it:— 
“ Box, growing from Swan Hill to Mildura, on the river flats. Habit 
spreading, bark greyish, close and even” (W. S. Brownscombe). 
“A Box, low straggling tree, something like E. melliodora (Yellow Box) in 
habit. The leaves have, however, generally a bluish tint. Tree, 2 feet 6 inches in 
diameter, perfectly sound, with fine hard red timber, and very little sapwood. 
Kerang, also Bumbang, near Euston, N.S.W.” (J. Blackburne). 
8-10 miles N.W. of Nhill, on somewhat moist flats (St. Eloy D’Alton); N.W. 
of Lake Albacutya (C. French). 
New South Wales is the State in which it is the most abundant. 
