Mallee to 2.5 m tall. Forming a lignotuber.Bark usually smooth, grey-brown over green, sometimes larger mallees with a short stocking of grey-brown ribbony rough bark. Branchlets glaucous and with oil glands in the pith.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stems square in cross-section, glaucous, lower stem hairy, juvenile leaves petiolate, opposite, ovate to elliptical to oblong, 6.5–9 cm long, 3.5–5.5 cm wide, dull, grey-green to glaucous, apex acute, base lobed to rounded, lamina sometimes hairy on lower leaves, margins sometimes denticulate due to hairs.Adult leaves opposite to sub-opposite, petioles 1.3–2.5(3) cm long; blade lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 6–13 cm long, (1.8)2.3–4(5) cm wide, base tapering to petiole, concolorous, dull grey-green to glaucous, side-veins acute, tertiary venation sparse to moderate, intramarginal vein present, oil glands mostly island.Inflorescence axillary single, peduncles 0.3–1.2 cm long, buds 3 per umbel, pedicels 0.25–0.3 cm long. Mature buds obovoid to pyriform, 1–1.3 cm long, c. 0.5 cm wide, hypanthium more or less four-angled with two opposing angles forming narrow wings, glaucous, outer perianth whorl sepaline, inner whorl operculate, operculum rounded, stamens grouped in four clusters, inflexed, anthers oblong, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits (non-confluent), style short, stigma tapered, locules usually 3 or 4, the ovules arranged in 4 distinct vertical rows on the placentae, flowers whitish.Fruit pedicelllate (pedicels 0.25–0.8 cm long), barrel-shaped, 1–2.1 cm long, 0.8–1.2(1.6) cm wide, glaucous (diminishing with age), usually four angled, disc descending, valves 3 or 4 enclosed or near the rim.Seeds dull brown to blackor geyish, obliquely pyramidal, maybe somewhat flattened, with a ragged flange around the edge, 4–6 mm long, sides ribbed, surface smooth not deeply pitted, hilum ventral/terminal.Cultivated seedlings (measured at node 10): cotyledons reniform; stems square in cross-section, glaucous, hairy, leaves petiolate, opposite, ovate to elliptical to oblong, 6.5–9 cm long, 3.5–5.5 cm wide, dull grey-green to glaucous, margins denticulate due to hairs, apex acute, base lobed to rounded, lamina hairy.
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