''Eucalyptus propinqua'', commonly known as the grey gum or small-fruited grey gum, is a species of medium-sized 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 smooth, mottled bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves that are paler on the lower surface, flower buds in groups of between seven and fifteen, white flowers and conical or hemispherical fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus propinqua'' 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 smooth mottled grey, cream-coloured and yellowish bark that is shed in strips. 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 stems that are square in cross section and leaves that are a paler shade on the lower surface, long, wide and petiolate. Adult leaves are a paler shade of green on the lower side, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide, tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are mostly 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 between seven and fifteen 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 club-shaped to oval, long and about wide with a conical to rounded or beaked operculum. Flowering occurs from January to April and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, conical or hemispherical capsule long and wide with the valves strongly protruding.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus propinqua'' was first formally described in 1896 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 Henry Deane in '' Proecceding of the Linnean Society of New South Wales''. 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 ...

(''propinqua'') is from the Latin ''propinquus'' meaning "near", referring to the similarity of the bark to that of '' E. punctata''.

Distribution and habitat

Grey gum grows in open forest on low hills and ridges in coastal and near-coastal areas between

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

in Queensland and the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. ...

in New South Wales.

Uses

Timber

The timber is very hard and heavy and is used for poles, piles, sleepers, heavy engineering construction, marine construction, flooring, and decking.

Gallery

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5405682 propinqua Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1896