From John Brown   28 October 1879

Forest Board Office,

Adelaide. 28/10/79.

My dear Sir,

As I informed you the other day I am making full inquiries regarding E. Behriana and E. hemiphloia for your information. I am having specimens sent from different parts of the Colony, and these I shall send you as I receive them, at same time giving descriptions of the trees from which taken &c. &c. so that you may decide as to whether or not the trees named above are the same species.

I have not quite satisfied myself yet on the matter, but I am inclined to think that you are right in supposing that E.B. and E.H. are one and the same tree — the difference in foliage and size being accounted for by difference in the natural features of the localities in which they are found growing. In this I may be wrong but proper examination will decide.

Enclosed I send you the first specimen relating to the matter in hand. This came from Spencer's Gulf (head of). The specimen is I fear, not of a character to be of much use to you to enable you to distinguish the species (I am trying to get a better developed specimen which will be sent you when procured) The tree from which this was taken resembles your E. Behriana (as I see described in Bentham's "Flora").¹ The tree in question is found on warm rather heavy soils with a clay subsoil. In height it may be seen about from 60 ft and 1½ to 2½ ft in diameter. The timber is durable, very hard and of a yellowish-blue color. The bark on the branches and young wood is smooth and clean, but on the trunk it is of a dark "stringy" nature. The enclosed specimen of bark is from a young vigorous growing tree of the kind.

Should you refer to this letter in writing to me please do so by referring to the number on front page, and oblige

Yours very truly

J. E. Brown

Baron F. Von Mueller K.C.M.G.

Government Botanist

Melbourne

Eucalyptus Behriana

Eucalyptus hemiphloia