| − | Eucalyptus rostrata, Schlecht. Red-gum, Fig. 1430. Tree, to 200 ft.: bark of mature trunks dark gray, either smooth and deciduous or somewhat persistent near the base and then checking into thick scales or even furrowed; bark of seedlings and twigs reddish: Lvs. narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 4-6 in. or more long: calyx-tube hemispheric; lid usually hemispheric and provided with a narrowed point or beak, sometimes merely conical and not beaked, rarely over 3 lines long; stamens 2-4 lines long; anthers oblong, opening by parallel slits: fr. nearly globular, rarely above 3 lines thick; rim broad, prominent; valves entirely protruding, even before they open. April-July. F.v.M. Eucal. 4:7.—One of the most valuable species; next to the sugar gum and forest gray-gum perhaps the most drought-resistant; withstands frosts better than blue- gum; endures the intense heat of Imperial Valley, on the Colorado Desert; grows where the ground is inundated for a considerable time; makes a good growth in alkali soils, yet best results are securea only on good soil, especially if moist and with a clayey subsoil. A slow-growing species in regard to height, but one of the first in regard to diam.-growth (Ingham). Timber very durable, both above and below ground: heavy, takes a good polish: light red to deep red in color: not so strong as sugar and blue-gums and trees more irregular in growth: suitable for railroad-ties, piles, fence-posts, and the like: difficult to work when dry, therefore scarcely suitable for furniture. Blossoms supply honey to bees.
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