''Eucalyptus odorata'', commonly known as peppermint box, is a species of mallee or a small 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 South Australia. It has rough, hard bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth greyish bark on the thinner branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus odorata'' is a mallee or small 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 rough, hard, fissured bar on the trank and branches thicker than , smooth, grey or brownish bark above. 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 lance-shaped leaves that are long and wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides when mature, lance-shaped, long and wide, 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 in groups of seven, nine or eleven on an unbranched peduncle, the individual buds

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or 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 ...

up to long. Mature buds are spindle-shaped to oval, long and wide with a conical to beaked operculum. Flowering occurs between March and October and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cylindrical or barrel-shaped capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus odorata'' was first formally described in 1847 by

Hans Hermann Behr Hans Hermann Behr (August 18, 1818, Köthen (Anhalt), Köthen – March 6, 1904, San Francisco) was a German Americans, German-American Physician, doctor, entomologist and botanist. At the time of his death, the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' r ...

in the journal ''

Linnaea ''Linnaea'' is a plant genus in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Until 2013, the genus included a single species, ''Linnaea borealis''. In 2013, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic evidence, the genus was expanded to include species f ...

''. 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 ...

(''odorata'') is from the

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 ...

''odoratus'' meaning "having a smell", referring to the scent of the leaves when crushed.

Distribution

Peppermint box is widely distributed in South Australia, between the southern

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...

and Bordertown and Lake Alexandrina, and on the lower

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

and

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

. It also occurs in north-western Victoria and there are a few records from the

Cobar Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier Hig ...

region of New South Wales. It grows in a variety of habitats but most commonly on undulating country.

Gallery

File:Botanical Illustration of Eucalyptus odorata.jpg File:Historical image - Eucalyptus odorata.jpg File:The Forest Flora of New South Wales - Eucalyptus odorata.jpg Images from the Forest Flora of New South Wales (1913) by J.H Maiden (Government botanist and director of the Botanical Gardens Sydney). Publication Details: Sydney: W. A. Gullick, 1902-1925. Copyright Status: Public domain.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7212982 odorata Flora of South Australia Mallees (habit) Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1847 Taxa named by Hans Hermann Behr

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Distribution

Gallery

See also

References