''Eucalyptus elata'', commonly known as the river peppermint or river white gum, is a species of medium to tall tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to eastern Australia. It has rough, compacted bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, green to yellow flower buds arranged in groups of eleven to thirty or more, white flowers and hemispherical or shortened spherical fruit. Eucalyptus elata buds

Description

''Eucalyptus elata'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of , rarely a mallee to , and forms a

lignotuber A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a response t ...

. It has rough, compact, dark grey bark, with narrow longitudinal fissures on the lower trunk. The bark on the upper trunk and branches is smooth, shedding in long ribbons often remaining in the crown, leaving a grey, cream-coloured or whitish surface. Young plants and

coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeated ...

regrowth have leaves arranged in opposite pairs, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of between eleven and thirty or more in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. Mature buds are club-shaped, long and wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering occurs from August to December and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical or shortened spherical capsule long and wide with the valves enclosed below the rim.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus elata'' was first described in 1829 by

Friedrich Dehnhardt Friedrich Dehnhardt (22 September 1787, Buhle nr Göttingen - 1 May 1870, Naples) was chief gardener of " L'Hortus Camaldulensis di Napoli", or the Camaldoli gardens in Naples belonging to Francesco Ricciardi, Count of Camaldoli. It was from these ...

in his book, ''Catalogus Plantarum Horti Camaldulensis''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''elata'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word meaning "exalted", "high" or "lofty".

Distribution and habitat

River peppermint usually grows along watercourse but sometimes also in undulating country, on rocky ridges or on scree slopes in forest. It grows near the coast and nearby tablelands south from

Putty Putty is a material with high plasticity, similar in texture to clay or dough, typically used in domestic construction and repair as a sealant or filler. Although some types of putty (typically those using linseed oil) slowly polymerise and be ...

in New South Wales to eastern Victoria.

Uses

Use in horticulture

''E. elata'' is widely cultivated as a street and ornamental tree for its beautiful upper smooth bark, rich green foliage and profusion of flowers that appear in spherical masses.

Essential oils

The leaves of ''E. elata'' have been distilled commercially for a

piperitone Piperitone is a natural monoterpene ketone which is a component of some essential oils. Both stereoisomers, the D-form and the L-form, are known. The D-form has a peppermint-like aroma and has been isolated from the oils of plants from the ge ...

based

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

.Boland, D.J., Brophy, J.J., and A.P.N. House, ''Eucalyptus Leaf Oils'', 1991,

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709149

elata Elata is a Greek village on the island of Chios. The village is situated on hilly terrain and has a population of several hundred. Elata Elata became a village hundreds of years ago when seven tribes came together to protect themselves from Tur ...

Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Australian Capital Territory Plants described in 1829