The name is used of manyhard-wooded trees in various parts of the world. TheAustralian varieties are – – Ironwood (Queensland) – – Acacia excelsa, Benth., N.O. Leguminosae; Melaleuca genistifolia, Smith, N.O. Myrtaceae.
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For Ironwood of New Zealand, see puriri.
1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' c. xii.p. 479:
«A club of iron-wood, which the cannibals had left in theboat.»
1823. W. B. Cramp, `Narrative of a Voyage to India,' p. 17:
«. . . they have a short club made of iron wood, called awaday, and a scimeter made of the same wood.»
1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 579:
«`Ironwood' and `Heartwood' of Tasmania; `Spurious Olive,'`White Plum' of Gippsland. An exceedingly hard, close-grainedwood, used for mallets, sheaves of blocks, turnery, etc. Theheartwood yields a very peculiar figure ; it is a very fairsubstitute for lignum-vitae.»