From John Duff   27 February 1885

Forest Conservancy Branch,

Department of Mines

Sydney, 27th Feby 1885.

Dear Baron Mueller,

I forwarded to you from this Department yesterday through Wright Heaton & Co. a parcel containing additional specimens of Eucalypts, collected in various parts of this Colony; also per post a few seeds of Eucalypts.

Rudder's specimens, Nos 4. Like Ironbark, 9. Brown gum, 10. white stringy bark or Mahogany, may perhaps be new, but the specimens of them are very imperfect.

Amongst the Eucalypts you will find complete specimens in flower, bud, and seed of Eucalyptus No. 8. B. from Ulladulla,¹ which you think may perhaps be a new species. You will observe that the leaves of this species vary much in shape, in some specimens they are orbicular; in others ovate-acuminate

The specimens of this species first forwarded to you were not, as you supposed, obtained from suckers or offshoots from the roots, but were cut from branches on mature trees.

The bark on trunk is about 1 inch thick, fibrous, furrowed less than 1/4 inch deep, greyish-white, persistent on trunk, and resembles the bark of White and other species of Box.

On the branches the bark is smooth with alternate green and brown stripes, and it is apparently deciduous.

The wood is light brown coloured, hard, close-grained, splits well, and is apparently a useful and durable timber.

I have not yet received a full description of the habitats, dimensions, appearance, and uses of this tree, but will furnish you with all available information when obtained.

The Chief Inspector of Stock joins me in thanking you most cordially for the list of New South Wales plants, poisonous, or surmised to be poisonous to Stock.²

Trusting you are well with kind regards,

I am Dear Baron Mueller,

Faithfully Yours,

John Duff.

Baron Mueller K.C.M.G. F.R.S.

&c &c &c

Government Botanist

Melbourne

Eucalyptus