From William Spicer to Ferdinand von Mueller   4 Feb 1878

My dear Baron —

Many thanks for 2 letters lately received.¹ Since then I have communicated with Mr Aug. Simson respecting the Euc. virgata (?), which flourishes in his neighbourhood, Georges Bay,² on the North East Coast. He sends me some notes, which I enclose.³ He has also sent me a bag of its bark, which I will send to you by the Southern Cross, which leaves Hobarton⁴ tomorrow (Tuesday, 5th).⁵ Perhaps you will send down to the Boat for it.

I had thought the species belonged to J. Hooker's Euc. nitida, a form of amygdalina. But I do not profess to know anything of the gums, beyond what falls under my immediate notice.

As a proof thereof, I enclose in the bag of bark specimens of a Eucalypt, which grows on the road to the Huon⁶ from Hobart Town, for which I cannot find an exact place. Mr Allport tells me he has seen it in other parts of the Island also. What puzzles me is the very glaucous appearance of the young shoots, which is continued in age.

At last I have found the whereabouts of Helichrysum (Ozothamnus) Gravesii — at least the scrap enclosed can be nothing else. It was sent me with a lot of other plants of no interest by the Lighthouse Keeper on "Kents Group" — a batch of islands just north of Flinders Island in Bass' Strait. I hear of it also in Clarke's Island also near south of⁷ Flinders Id.

I am going to leave Tasmania & return with my family to the old Country once more. We have had enough of Colonial life, & want to see our relations again. We propose going in the Chimborazo, & hope to be in Melbourne the first week in April, when I shall make a point of paying you a visit.⁸

I remain

very truly yrs

W. W. Spicer.

Iron bark.

Grows in the granite country in open forest ridges of rather barren sandy or stony soil.

It resembles the ordinary "Iron bark" of Port Denison & the Burdekin Country in Queensland (not the silver Iron bark), as far as the trunk is concerned — but is hardly so hard & [rufose] in the bark. It grows to a height of 100 feet or more & attains a diameter of 4 or even 5 feet. It grows on all the ridges near the coast from Falmouth to Georges Bay,⁹ but ceases when you get into better soil & moister climate near Goulds Country.

The timber is used at the Sawmills on Georges River, & is also employed for splitting into posts & rails. It is hard, & like the Queensland Iron bark burns well even when green.

The bark on the saplings is rather scaly — something like the Port Denison "Blood wood". The bark is black in colour, scored down with seams. It is something like that on the "Stringy bark", but is hard & compact, & you cannot pull any off. It is very hard to cut.

The trees are more branching than most of the other Eucalypti here, often going off into several large branches at 20 feet or even less.

The bark I send is partly off young & partly off large trees. The longest piece is a "ridge" from a large tree; it had deep furrows on either side. Neither of the thick pieces are full thickness. On account of the dry weather it would not strip well.

The young upper branches have ordinary smooth bark.

I found it growing on the hills north of S. Mary's¹⁰ on sandstone.

Augs Simson

Feb. 1878

Eucalyptus amygdalina

Eucalyptus nitida

Eucalyptus virgata

Helichrysum Gravesii

Ozothamnus Gravesii