''Eucalyptus nicholii'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved black peppermint or willow peppermint, is a species of small to medium-sized 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 New South Wales. It has thick, rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, small, narrow adult leaves, flower buds arranged in groups of seven, white flowers and small, hemispherical, bell-shaped or conical fruit. Eucalyptus nicholii buds

Description

''Eucalyptus nicholii'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of 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 thick, rough, fibrous, yellowish-brown to grey-brown bark with red-brown underlayers. The bark is coarsely fissured on the trunk and branches, but the outer branches sometimes have smooth bark that is shed in short ribbons. 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 dull, greyish, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves long and wide. Adult leaves are the same dull greyish green on both sides, narrow lance-shaped, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of seven on an unbranched peduncle 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 operculum. Flowering occurs from late summer to early autumn and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody hemispherical, bell-shaped or conical capsule long and wide with the valves protruding slightly above the rim of the fruit.Brooker, M.I.H. & Kleinig, D.A. ''Field Guide to Eucalyptus'', Bloomings, Melbourne 2001

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus nicholii'' was first formally described in 1929 by

Joseph Maiden Joseph Henry Maiden (25 April 1859 – 16 November 1925) was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the genus ''Eucalyptus''. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing ...

and

William Blakely William Faris Blakely (November 1875 – 1 September 1941) was an Australian botanist and collector. From 1913 to 1940 he worked in the National Herbarium of New South Wales, working with Joseph Maiden on ''Eucalyptus'', Maiden named a ''red g ...

in Maiden's book, ''A Critical Revision of the genus Eucalyptus''. 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 ...

honours Maiden's private secretary and "Chief Clerk, Botanic Gardens", Richard Nicol.

Distribution and habitat

The narrow-leaved black peppermint grows in shallow, relatively infertile soils overlying shale and slate bedrock usually as part of grassy or sclerophyll woodlands, in association with ''

Eucalyptus andrewsii ''Eucalyptus andrewsii'', commonly known as the New England blackbutt, is a tree native to New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia. It is a tree with rough bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped often curved leaves, flowe ...

'' and '' Eucalyptus caliginosa''. Its distribution is limited to the

Northern Tablelands, New South Wales The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...

, particularly in the Walcha to

Tenterfield Tenterfield is a regional town in New South Wales, Australia. At the , Tenterfield had a population of 4,066. Tenterfield's proximity to many regional centres and its position on the route between Sydney and Brisbane led to its development as a ...

, area and to the east. The species is sparsely distributed, but most commonly occurs in the central areas of its range.

Conservation status

This eucalyptus is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

'' and the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016''. Most specimens occur on private property or on roadsides and few are conserved in nature reserves. The main threats to the species are land clearing and

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...

, inappropriate fire regimes, grazing by livestock and feral goats, road maintenance and collection of firewood. The entire population is known from fewer than 40 localities, with most not reserved in national parks or state forests.

Use in horticulture

This tree is very widely planted as an ornamental in southeastern Australia, the fine, dense foliage being particularly attractive.

References