76 
GROUP V. E. REGNANS. 
Girths are proportionate to these stupendous heights. The species appears to 
have attained its optimum in the humid mountain valleys of \ >c ona Seen there 
in perspective the white branchless stems of the trees form colonnades that no 
temple erected by the hand of man could ever rival. The leafy r f t. to 
150ft. above the forest floor admits a softened light, and scattered e\eiywheie 
along the naves and aisles of the great cathedral are tender shrubs and graceful 
tree ferns. Vast areas of such forest have been invaded by the sawmills, in some 
places trees and even stumps have entirely disappeared. But enough remains to 
fill the tree-loving visitor with wonder and enthusiasm; and wherever permitted 
busy nature is raising another generation of the same trees to eo\ er the denuded 
areas. 
E. reqnans is easily distinguished from most other eucalypts. Its dead baik 
persists in the form of a fibrous jacket at the base of the stem to a height of 10ft. to 
25ft.; from the branches and upper part of the stem it falls away m ribbons, leaving a 
clear white surface. Juvenile leaves thin, indented at edges, creased or wrinkled, 
already stalked. Adult tree leaves 5in. to Tin. long by lin. to l/ 2 in. m width, 
unbalanced, vertically suspended, and of same rich green on both sui faces. Umbels 
usually in pairs in the axils (angles) of the leaves; stalk / 2 in., stalklets 3 16in, lid 
of bud low and short-pointed; anthers very small with divergent openings. Ripe 
seed-cup Min. deep and a little more in width at rim, tapering towards stalklet, 
3-celled; rim nearly flat with points of open valves slightly protruding. 
The mature wood shows distinct annual growth rings as do the conifers, 
and in texture is nearer to the soft-woods than most other eucalypts. R. T. Baker 
in Hardwoods of Australia writes about it as follows: — “It is very pale, almost 
white, straight in the grain, free-working, seasons quickly and well. It resembles in 
texture and physical properties the Ashes and Hickories of the Northern 
Hemisphere. It is used extensively for general house building, coach and carriage 
work, and recently has come very much into vogue in the furniture and cabinet 
trades.” The State in which the timber is most abundant and most appreciated is 
Victoria. 
CULTIVATION IN NEW ZEALAND. 
E. regnans is an inland species and always demands effective protection 
against strong sea winds. It must have a free and moist substratum with generous 
rainfall. Granted these conditions, it should flourish up to altitudes of about 
300ft. in Otago, Westland, Canterbury, Marlborough, and Nelson. In the North 
Island, with advance towards lower latitude, it may be expected to extend its 
altitude to 700ft. and 1,000ft. Experiments already made with this species are 
most encouraging. Scattered vigorous specimens large enough for the sawmill 
may be seen in Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, and several other localities. Between 
fifty and sixty years ago a few trees were planted along the margin of a 
paddock in the valley above the Waitati railway station, Otago. The paddock 
was neglected and went back into manuka and bracken, but the eucalypts 
flourished. The time soon came when they fruited and scattered their seed on the 
years ago a fire through the scrub opened the surface to 
the sunlight and promoted germination of the seed. The result is a forest of trees 
in the pole stage covering many acres. Seed for all requirements in this country 
can be collected from these splendid Waitati trees. 
