170 
At the same time, the “ Genera Plantarum ” was an enormous step in advance. 
Mueller’s system, published in his “ Census,” is almost as unnatural; he merely gives 
one artificial system in place of another. Engler, profiting by study of the earlier 
systems, and with access to vast stores of additional information, to which he himself 
contributed, has produced the most natural system at present known, though it is 
doubtless not yet a perfect Natural System. The extent of the Families is still 
somewhat a matter of opinion; it does not matter much whether the Cunoniacese 
are regarded as a separate Family, or as a Tribe of the Saxifragacese, hut as we are 
mainly following Engler in the rearrangement of the Families in the new Census of 
New South Wales plants, it is convenient to follow his view with regard to the 
extent of the Families as far as possible. 
Vernacular Names. —“Light Wood,” “Officer Plant,” “Christmas Tree.” 
“ A beautiful flowering plant, rendered conspicuous from afar by the brilliant 
scarlet colour of the persistent calyxes of its numerous flowers; used for the 
decoration of churches at Christmas, whence one of its local names.” 
So wrote Sir William Macartliur nearly sixty years ago. “ Officer Plant ” is 
an allusion to the bright coloured tunics of the officers, and the name “ Light Wood ” 
was given to this tree the very first year of settlement. 
Aboriginal Name. —I know of none, though it is not possible that such a 
conspicuous plant could have escaped their special notice. 
Flowers. —The flowers are white, small, and very dainty. But they are not 
particularly conspicuous. What are usually known as the “ flowers ” are the 
enlarged calyces which heighten in colour to a more or less deep scarlet. 
Exudation. —By well wounding the tree, or, better still, by felling a tree 
and cutting it into logs, there exudes a kino of exceptionally beautiful appearance. 
It is of a rich ruby colour, perfectly transparent, very tough, though when it has 
become thoroughly hard it breaks with a bright fracture. It is exceedingly 
astringent, sticks to the teeth, and obviously contains a large proportion of gummy 
matter. 
The resinous substance also exudes from the leaves, which causes them to 
slightly stick to the papers as dried specimens. 
The first parcel of C. gummiferum gum I received was in small tears of a 
beautiful ruby colour, perfectly transparent, and having a bright fracture. It is 
powerfully astringent to the taste, sticks to the teeth, and obviously contains a 
large proportion of gummy matter. This sample was removed from the cut ends 
of a log, from which it exuded in small drops and in thin pieces which dried very 
quickly. The tree was 6 to 9 inches in diameter. It seems, as] far as our 
experience goes at present, that ringbarking or wounding the tree, or even cutting 
it down merely, is of little avail to obtain the gum; the tree must he cut into 
