Mallee to 6 m tall, rarely a small multistemmed tree. Forming a lignotuber.Bark rough, usually to the base of the branches, sometimes only on the lower trunk, fibrous, grey-brown. Upper trunk and branches with grey to grey-brown over orange to bronze smooth bark.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stem square in cross-section, sometimes with a small wing on the edges; juvenile leaves shortly petiolate, alternate, ovate to broadly lanceolate, 6–8.5 cm long, 2.2–3.6 cm wide, dull, grey-green to light green.Adult leaves alternate, petiole 0.7–2.5 cm long; lanceolate, 6–13.5 cm long, 1.3–2.5(3) cm wide, base tapering to petiole, concolorous, normally dull, usually blue-green at first, maturing to green, side-veins acute, less than 45° to midrib, sparsely to moderately reticulate, intramarginal vein parallel to and remote from margin, oil glands island.Inflorescence axillary unbranched, peduncles 0.5–1.2(1.5) cm long, buds 7(–11) per umbel, pedicellate (pedicels ca. 0.2 cm long. Mature buds ovoid (ca. 0.8 cm long, 0.5 cm wide), yellow or creamy, smooth, scar present, operculum conical (ca. 0.6 cm long), stamens erect, anthers cuboid to oblong, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits (non-confluent), style long, stigma tapered, locules 4(5), the placentae each with 6 vertical ovule rows. Flowers white.Fruit pedicellate (pedicels 0.3–0.5 cm long), hemispherical, 0.3–0.5 cm long, 0.6–0.9 cm wide, disc raised and vertical to oblique, rarely either convex or concave, valves 4(5), strongly exserted.Seeds dark brown to black, 1–1.5 mm long, pyramidal or cuboid, dorsal surface usually pitted, edge sharply toothed, hilum terminal. Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons oblong; stems square in cross-section; leaves always petiolate, opposite for 3 to 7 nodes then becoming alternate, lanceolate, 7–14 cm long, (0.5)1–3 cm wide, base tapering, apex pointed, dull, grey-green to green, discolorous.
Home