4 
No. 112. 
Eucalyptus pilularis, Sm. 
The Blackbutt. 
(Family MYRTACEyE.) 
Botanical description. —Genus, Eucalyptus. (See Part IT, p. 33.) 
Botanical description. — Species, E. pilularis, Sm. in Trans. Linn. Soc., Ill, 284. 
A moderate-sized or large tree, with a dark-coloured, rough, and somewhat furrowed persistent 
baik. 
Leaves mostly lanceolate, falcate or nearly straight, acuminate, 3 to 6 inches long, rather thick 
and smooth, the veins rather oblique, but much less so and more numerous and parallel than 
in E. obliqua and E. piperita ; they are also finer and often scarcely conspicuous or slightly 
impressed on the upper’ side. 
Peduncles axillary or lateral, or the upper ones forming more or less of a terminal panicle, 
distinctly flattened in the typical form, bearing each about 6 to 12 flowers, the pedicels often 
thick and angular, but sometimes rather long and more slender. 
Buds acuminate. 
Calyx-tube about 2 lines long, aird as much in diameter. 
OperevJurn conical or- acuminate, longer than the calyx-tube. 
Stamens 2 to 3 lines long, all perfect, inflected in the bud ; anthers reniform or broad, the cells 
diverging or divaricate, confluent at the apex. 
Ovary flat-topped. 
Fruit semi-globose or subglobose, truncate, 4 to 5 lines diameter, straight or slightly contracted at 
the orifice, the rim rather broad, flat or slightly convex or concave, the capsule somewhat 
sunk or nearly level, the valves usually horizontal. (15.FI. iii, 208.) 
Botanical Name. — Eucalyptus, already explained (see Part II, p. 34) ; 
pilularis, from the Latin pilula, a little ball or round knob, in allusion to the shape 
of the fruits. 
Vernacular Names. —It is the tree which most usually goes under the 
name of “ Blackbutt,” and sometimes by way of distinction, for it attains enormous 
size, as will lie seen presently, the “ Great Blackbutt.” It is a stately, shapely tree, 
and perhaps the best known of all the genus to Sydney residents, as it is so 
abundant. It belongs to the group of cucalypts called “ half-barked,” because its 
rough outer bark is confined to the trunk of the tree, the brandies being smooth 
and white. Prom the latter circumstance it shares with some other species the 
