Small tree to 10 m tall, rarely a mallee. Forming a lignotuber.Bark rough to small branches, box-type, grey. Juvenile stem square in cross-section; juvenile leaves shortly petiolate, opposite until node 3 to 7 then alternate, lowest leaves ovate then soon lanceolate, 8–11.5 cm long, 0.8–1.7(2.7) cm wide, dull, green to grey-green. Adult leaves alternate, petiole 0.6–1.7 cm long; blade lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, sometimes falcate, 7.5–15 cm long, 0.8–2.5 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, concolorous, glossy or dull, green to grey-green, side-veins at an acute angle to the midrib, somewhat irregularly spaced, densely reticulate, intramarginal vein parallel to and well removed from margin, oil glands small, mostly intersectional, or sometimes obscure. Inflorescence terminal compound, peduncles 0.5–1.2 cm long; umbels 7-flowered, rarely 3-flowered, pedicels 0.2–0.6 cm long. Mature buds obovoid to ± pyriform, 0.4–0.5 cm long, 0.2–0.3 cm wide, green to yellow, scar usually present (outer operculum usually shed early and sometimes remains semi-attached at the apex of the inner operculum), operculum conical to rounded, stamens irregularly flexed, rarely inflexed, all fertile, anthers adnate, globoid to cuboid, dehiscing by lateral or subterminal pores, style long, stigma blunt to tapered, locules 3 or 4, the placentae each with 4 vertical ovule rows. Flowers white.Fruit on pedicels 0.1–0.8 cm long, usually cupular, rarely barrel-shaped, 0.3–0.5 cm long, 0.3–0.5 cm wide, disc descending, valves 3 or 4, enclosed or sometimes near rim level. Seeds brown, 1–1.5 mm long, ovoid or flattened-ovoid, sometimes pointed at one end, dorsal surface shallowly reticulate, hilum ventral. Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons reniform to oblong; stems square in cross-section; leaves shortly petiolate, opposite for about 5 to 7 nodes, lanceolate, 6.5–11 cm long, 0.7–2.5 cm wide, dull, grey-green.
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