''Eucalyptus sparsifolia'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved stringybark, is a tree

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 ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. It has grey to reddish brown, stringy bark, glossy green lance-shaped leaves, spindle-shaped flower buds and more or less spherical fruit. Eucalyptus sparsifolia foliage and flower buds

Eucalyptus sparsifolia foliage and flower buds

Description

''Eucalyptus sparsifolia'' is a tree that grows to a height of with grey to reddish brown, stringy bark. The leaves on young trees are glossy green, hairy, broadly lance-shaped long, wide and a lighter colour on the lower side. Adult leaves are narrow lance-shaped, often curved, the same glossy green on both sides, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are arranged in groups of mostly between nine and eighteen on an angular or flattened peduncle long, individual flowers on a cylindrical

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 ...

up to long. The mature buds are green to yellowish, oval to spindle-shaped, long and about wide. The operculum is cone-shaped with a beaked tip, shorter than or about as long and wide as the

flower cup The Flower Cup (Japanese フラワーカップ) is a Grade 3 horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run in March over a distance of 1800 metres at Nakayama Racecourse. The race was first run in 1987 and has been run at Grade 3 level ...

. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are white. Flowering mainly occurs from September to December. The fruit is a globe-shaped, slightly flattened capsule, long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus sparsifolia'' was first formally described in 1934 by

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 ...

who published the description in ''A Key to the Eucalypts''. 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 ...

(''sparsifolia'') is derived from Latin ("sparse-leaved"), referring to the

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

but is probably a misnomer. This species was formerly included with ''E. oblonga'' which included trees with a wide range of leaf widths. Those with broader leaves are now included in '' E. globoidea''.

Distribution and habitat

The narrow-leaved stringybark is widespread and abundant in forest and woodland in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

region and as far inland as the

Pilliga forest The Pilliga Forest, sometimes known as the Pilliga Scrub, constitute over 5,000 km2 of semi-arid woodland in temperate north-central New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest such continuous remnant in the state. The forest is loc ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5405718 sparsifolia Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1934 Taxa named by William Blakely