''Eucalyptus gypsophila'', also known as the kopi mallee, is a species of mallee that is native to Western Australia and South Australia. It has rough, flaky bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth light grey bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds mostly in groups of between seven and eleven, creamy white flowers and conical to cylindrical fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus gypsophila'' is a mallee that typically grows to a height of and has persistent rough bark toward the base of the trunk, smooth light grey over pinkish grey to coppery cream coloured bark above. Young plants and coppice regrowth have slightly
glaucous
''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), g ...
, egg-shaped to more or less round leaves that are long and wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same dull blue-grey to grey-green on both sides, lance-shaped, long and ) wide with the base tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged 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, usually in groups of seven, nine or eleven on a
peduncle Peduncle may refer to:
*Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed
*Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body
**Peduncle (art ...
long, the individual buds on
pedicels
In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''.
Description
Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...
long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a conical to rounded operculum that has radiating striations. Flowering occurs between July and December and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody, conical to cylindrical capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus gypsophila'' was first formally described in 1997 by the botanist
Dean Nicolle
270px, Dean Nicolle and '' Eucalyptus deanei''
Dean Nicolle (born 1974), is an Australian botanist, arborist and ecologist. He is widely recognised as the leading authority on the genus ''Eucalyptus''.
Nicolle was born in Adelaide, South Austr ...
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 ...
(''gypsophila'') is from the Greek ''gypsos'' meaning ' gypsum' and ''philos'' , 'loving', referring to this species commonly occurring on gypsum sand dunes around dry lakes.
This species was previously included in '' E. striaticalyx'' but that species is a tree.
'' Eucalyptus infracorticata'' is listed as a synonym of ''E. gypsophila'' at
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
, but is an accepted species at the Australian Plant Census.
This mallee belongs in subgenus ''Symphyomyrtus'' section ''Dumaria'', to a large sub-group, series ''Rufispermae'', composed of 37 described species and subspecies including '' E. kondininensis'', '' E. striaticalyx'' and '' E. repullulans''.
Distribution
Kopi mallee is widespread in the Great Victoria Desert, from east of Laverton in Western Australia to the western edge of the Gawler Ranges in South Australia. Over most of its range it grows on red sand over limestone, often near salt lakes or dry lakes.