Eucalyptus | Symphyomyrtus | Bisectae | Destitutae | Angustissimae | Oviformes
Euclid - Online edition
Eucalyptus misella
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Classification
Nomenclature
Description
Mallee to 4 m tall, with ± erect stems and foliage to ground level. Forming a lignotuber.
Bark usually wholly smooth, grey, grey-brown, rusty brown and greenish grey, ribbons sometimes present, rarely with a persistent fibrous thin grey-brown basal stocking for ca 0.5 m of trunks on older plants.
Branchlets lacking oil glands in the pith.
Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stems rounded in cross-section; juvenile leaves opposite for 1 or 2 nodes then becoming alternate but may revert to opposite for a few nodes, oblong, 6.5–9.5 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm wide, apex rounded-apiculate to acute, dull, blue-green.
Adult leaves held erect, alternate, petioles 0.4–0.8(1.1) cm long; blade narrowly oblong-elliptic, 4–8.5 cm long, 0.8–1.5 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, margin entire, apex rounded and apiculate to pointed, concolorous, dull bluish green at first but maturing glossy green inside crown, side-veins greater than 45° to midrib, reticulation moderate to dense, intramarginal vein close to or remote from margin, oil glands numerous, mostly intersectional, ± round.
Inflorescence axillary, single, peduncles 0.2–0.5 cm long, buds 7, 9 or 11, shortly pedicellate (pedicels 0.1–0.3 cm long). Mature buds ovoid (egg-in-eggcup) with hypanthium widest below join with operculum, 0.6 cm long, 0.45–0.5 cm wide, scar present, operculum usually rounded, stamens inflexed, anthers oblong to reniform, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by short lateral slits, style long, straight, stigma blunt to rounded, locules 3, the placentae each with 4 vertical rows of ovules. Flowers white.
Fruit sessile or shortly pedicellate (0–0.2 cm long), flattened-globose to obconical and swollen, 0.4–0.5 cm wide, 0.6–0.8 cm wide, disc level, valves 3, near rim level.
Seeds brown, 1.0–2.5 mm long, flattened-ovoid, dorsal surface ± smooth, sometimes furrowed, hilum ventral.
Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons Y-shaped (bisected); stems rounded in cross-section, slightly warty or smooth; leaves linear and sessile to sub-sessile for ca 3 nodes, opposite until ca node 5 or 6 then alternate, becoming shortly petiolate, lanceolate-elliptic, 3.5–6.5 cm long, 0.7–1.8 cm wide, dull grey-green.
Bark usually wholly smooth, grey, grey-brown, rusty brown and greenish grey, ribbons sometimes present, rarely with a persistent fibrous thin grey-brown basal stocking for ca 0.5 m of trunks on older plants.
Branchlets lacking oil glands in the pith.
Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stems rounded in cross-section; juvenile leaves opposite for 1 or 2 nodes then becoming alternate but may revert to opposite for a few nodes, oblong, 6.5–9.5 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm wide, apex rounded-apiculate to acute, dull, blue-green.
Adult leaves held erect, alternate, petioles 0.4–0.8(1.1) cm long; blade narrowly oblong-elliptic, 4–8.5 cm long, 0.8–1.5 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, margin entire, apex rounded and apiculate to pointed, concolorous, dull bluish green at first but maturing glossy green inside crown, side-veins greater than 45° to midrib, reticulation moderate to dense, intramarginal vein close to or remote from margin, oil glands numerous, mostly intersectional, ± round.
Inflorescence axillary, single, peduncles 0.2–0.5 cm long, buds 7, 9 or 11, shortly pedicellate (pedicels 0.1–0.3 cm long). Mature buds ovoid (egg-in-eggcup) with hypanthium widest below join with operculum, 0.6 cm long, 0.45–0.5 cm wide, scar present, operculum usually rounded, stamens inflexed, anthers oblong to reniform, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by short lateral slits, style long, straight, stigma blunt to rounded, locules 3, the placentae each with 4 vertical rows of ovules. Flowers white.
Fruit sessile or shortly pedicellate (0–0.2 cm long), flattened-globose to obconical and swollen, 0.4–0.5 cm wide, 0.6–0.8 cm wide, disc level, valves 3, near rim level.
Seeds brown, 1.0–2.5 mm long, flattened-ovoid, dorsal surface ± smooth, sometimes furrowed, hilum ventral.
Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons Y-shaped (bisected); stems rounded in cross-section, slightly warty or smooth; leaves linear and sessile to sub-sessile for ca 3 nodes, opposite until ca node 5 or 6 then alternate, becoming shortly petiolate, lanceolate-elliptic, 3.5–6.5 cm long, 0.7–1.8 cm wide, dull grey-green.
Flowering Time
Flowering has been recorded in November.
Notes
A mallee endemic to Western Australia, found only in a small area between Esperance and Peak Charles. It has smooth bark and a dense crown of dull to glossy green erect leaves.
In the classification of Brooker (2000) Eucalyptus misella belongs in Eucalyptus subgenus Symphyomyrtus section Bisectae subsection Destitutae because buds have two opercula, cotyledons are Y-shaped and branchlets lack oil glands in the pith. Within this subsection E. misella is closely related to only three other species, viz. E. angustissima, E. quaerenda and E. foliosa, together forming series Angustissimae, characterised by the erect leaves, egg-in-eggcup buds and stamens with more or less reniform anthers. E. misella occurs away from salt lakes in heath vegetation on sand with gravel high in the profile, whilst E. foliosa, E. quaerenda and E. angustissima occur on white sands near salt lakes.
The four species are only weakly separated morphologically. Eucalyptus misella has wider adult leaves than E. angustissima and E. quaerenda but scarcely wider leaves than E. foliosa. The habitats of E. foliosa and E. misella differ as stated above.
Origin of Name
Eucalyptus misella: Latin misellus wretched, a probably unwarranted reference to its supposed low growth which can be to 4 m.
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