The Forest Flora of New South Wales Volume 3 Parts 21-30 Maiden, J. H. (Joseph Henry) University of Sydney Library Sydney, Australia http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/badham Copyright of this electronic file belongs to University of Sydney Library. The texts and images are not to be used for commercial purposes without permission. 1998 Illustrations have been included from the print version. Source Text: Prepared from the print edition publishded by William Applegate Gullick, Government Printer Sydney 1908 J.H.Maiden, Government Botanist of New South Wales and Director of the Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Volume 3 includes Parts 21 to 30. All quotation marks retained as data. All unambiguous end-of-line hyphens have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line. Images exist as archived TIFF images, one or more JPG and GIF images for general use. Australian Etexts botany natural history 1890-1909 26th July 1999 Final Checking and Parsing Forest Flora of New South Wales Volume 3: Parts XXI-XXX Sydney William Applegate Gullick, Government Printer. 1908 Part XXI. Joseph Henry Maiden The Forest Flora of New South Wales Part XXI Sydney William Applegate Gullick, Government Printer 1906 Published by the Forest Department of New South Wales, under authority of the Honourable the Secretary for Lands. No. 77: Flindersia Bennettiana, F.v.M. The Crow's Ash or Bogam-Bogum. (Natural Order MELIACEÆ.) a Botanical description. — Genus, Flindersia. (See p. 209, Part X.) Botanical description. — Species, F. Bennettiana, F. Muell. Herb. A large tree. Leaves. — Opposite, crowded under the panicles. Leaflets. — 3 or 5; from ovate to ovate-lanceolate or oblong, elliptical, obtuse or scarcely acuminate, 2 to 3 inches long in some specimens, 4 to 5 inches in others, glabrous, very coriaceous, not oblique, and scarcely petiolulate, the common petiole angular. Panicles — Ample, sometimes short, sometimes exceeding the leaves, minutely stellate- pubescent. Petals — About 3 lines long, rather broader than in F. Oxleyana, glabrous or nearly so. Fruit — 2 or 3 inches long, muricate. — (B.Fl. i, p. 389) Seeds — Winged.b In a number of specimens I have seen the wing is all round the seed, as shown in the figure, Plate 78, figure E, and this appears to be the normal form. This species has from time to time been confused with F. australis, but I do not doubt that the plates will make the differences between the species quite clear. F. Bennettiana has the leaflets fewer, larger, and thicker; the fruits smaller, with less formidable points, and with the overlapping edges of the valves not rough as in F. australis. There are other differences that the reader is invited to note for himself, with the aid of the illustrations and of the text. Botanical Name. — Flindersia, already explained (see p. 210, Part X). Bennettiana, in honor of the late Dr. George Bennett, of Sydney, (1804-1893), author of "Wanderings in New South Wales, Batavia, Pedir Coast, Singapore, and China," 2 vols. 8vo., London, 1834, and "Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australasia," 1 vol. 8vo., London, 1860. For further particulars of Dr. Bennett, see Mennell's "Dictionary of Australasian Biography" (1892), also Professor David's Presidential Address (Linnean Society, N.S.W.) vol. xviii, p. 542. Vernacular Names. — The origin of the name "Crow's Ash" or "Crow's-feet Ash" is one concerning which there is room for conjecture. It may be that a timber-getter, in felling a Flindersia, found in a fork the remains of crows eaten by some birds (perhaps hawks), the feet alone being left behind. Mr. W. Dunn, however, points out another explanation. He states that crows are as fond of the winged seeds as cockatoos are, and thinks it is quite possible the name may have originated in that way. The name "Crow's Ash" is one given by some Queenslanders and Richmond River people to Teak (F. australis). It has also been sent to me as a name for F. Bennettiana, a closely-allied species. As Teak is a fixture for F. australis, I think it is desirable to encourage the name "Crow's Ash" for F. Bennettiana, which is one of the high trees in which crows build. "She-Teak" is a name given me by Mr. W. Baeuerlen as in use on the Richmond River. It is also known as "Stave Wood." Aboriginal Name. — "Bogum-Bogum" of the aborigines of the Richmond River, New South Wales. See No. 1 of Moore's "List of Northern Timbers for the London Exhibition of 1862." Synonym. — F. australis, F.v.M., Fragm. iii, 26, not of R. Brown. Leaves. — The leaflets are the largest of those of any species of Flindersia. Flowers. — These are white, and, although individually small, are in such large panicles that they are of a handsome character. Fruit. — The fruit is smaller than that of F. australis, nor are the edges of the valves rough as in that species. Bark. — Somewhat resembles that of F. australis, which has doubtless tended to add to the confusion between the two species. Timber. — The following account of this tree was written by the late Mr. Charles Moore for the "Catalogue of N.S.W. Exhibits at the London Exhibition of 1862":— This tree is very abundant in the coast brush forests, there attaining a height of 80 feet, and 2 feet diameter. Comparatively rare and of small size on the Clarence. Its large, bright, glossy foliage, and masses of terminal white flowers render it a conspicuous object wherever it grows. The wood is seldom used by the settlers, but, as it splits well, might probably be valuable for staves. For many years the Teak (F. australis) went under the name F. Bennettiana, and a caution is given on the subject. We know very little about the "Crow's Ash " (F. Bennettiana). It is certainly a much rarer tree than the Teak. We know that it is pale- coloured, and that it is fissile (it is used for staves); but what else do we know about it? What are its properties as compared with Teak and Cudgerie? Size. — Moore says it attains a height of 80 feet, and a diameter of 2 feet. Habitat. — The localities given in the "Flora Australiensis" are — Queensland. — Wide Bay (Bidwill); Brisbane River, Moreton Bay (A. Cunningham, Fraser, W. Hill). New South Wales. — Clarence River (Beckler). It is a brush tree, and we know very little about its distribution. We do not know its precise southern range, nor are we able to say, with a close approximation to accuracy, its relative abundance on any particular area. It is represented in the National Herbarium, Sydney, from the following localities:— New South Wales. — Tweed River (Mrs. Grime); Linderdale, Lismore, "10-15 feet," also Lismore, "40 – 60 feet, 9 – 18 inches diameter " (W. Baeuerlen); Experimental Farm, Wollongbar; Richmond River (J. A. Henderson); Reserve, Dalwood, Richmond River (W. W. Watts); Three-mile Scrub, Byron Bay (W. Forsyth); Stroud district (the late Augustus Rudder), no specific locality given, and, therefore, doubtful. Queensland. — Brisbane (J. L. Boorman); Eumundi (F. M. Bailey); Gympie (F. Hamilton-Kenny). I invite correspondence in regard to this tree. Propagation. — It is readily cultivated from seed. But if we know little of this tree in the forest, it is the best-known of all the Flindersias in cultivation in Sydney. It is a handsome avenue tree. Its large, glossy leaflets, with a profusion of large white masses of smallish flowers, borne on a neat, erect trunk, render it a valuable addition to any garden of trees. It appears to be perfectly hardy in the Sydney climate. EXPLANATION OF PLATE 77 (Flowers). Plate No. 77: Crow's Ash or Bogum Bogum. (Flindersia Bennettiana, F.v.M.) Lithograph by M. Flockton. A. Flowering branch with the flowers of natural size. B. Flower (enlarged). C. Expanded flower showing — (a) Petals. (b) Stamens. (c) Staminodia. (d) Disc. (e) Ovary. (f) Stigma. D). Part of flower showing — (a) Stamens. (b) Staminodia. (c) Disc. (d) Ovary. (e) Stigma. E. Stamens. F. Staminode. G. Transverse section of ovary. H. Calyx. EXPLANATION OF PLATE 78 (Fruits). Plate No. 78: Crow's Ash or Bogum Bogum. (Flindersia Bennettiana, F.v.M.). Lithograph by M. Flockton. A. Leaf or portion of stem showing articulation of petiole. B. Fruit. C. Capsule opening septicidally. D. One valve of capsule. F. Seed, winged all round. N.B. — The fruits were drawn from specimens attached to leaves, and therefore their botanical origin is not open to doubt. Footnotes for Issue No. 77. a. No. 76 is the last number of Part XIX. Part XX is a recapitulatory number — that is to say, no new trees were described in it, and therefore no new numbers are employed. b. Bentham says, "at the upper end only, or some with a very small wing also at the lower end, but only seen in one capsule. No. 78: Eucalyptus Andrewsi, Maiden. The Blackbutt or Peppermint (of New England). (Natural Order MYRTACEAE.) Botanical description. — Genus Eucalyptus. (See p.33, Part II.) Botanical description. — Species Eucalyptus Andrewsi, Maiden, in Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 1904, p.472. A tall tree. Juvenile leaves — Rather large and soon becoming alternate, glaucous. The youngest foliage available to me is elliptical and about 4 inches long, by half the width, with petioles of 1/2 inch. "Seedlings have erect habit, with fairly large leaves; pale in colour." — (R. H. Cambage.) Mature leaves — Broadly lanceolate, sometimes falcate, but apparently usually symmetrical. Dull on both sides and even glaucous,a but ultimately glabrous and even shining; equally green on both sides, venation spreading from the base.