''Eucalyptus wilcoxii'', commonly known as Deua gum, is a species of mallee or 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 else ...

to south-eastern New South Wales. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and cup-shaped or bell-shaped fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus wilcoxii'' is a mallee, sometimes 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 grey, copper-coloured or greenish bark that is shed in long 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 repeate ...

regrowth have bluish green leaves that are paler on the lower surface, narrow elliptical, long and wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide, tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of three 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 pear-shaped, cylindrical to oval, about long and wide with a beaked or conical operculum long. Flowering has been observed in March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped, bell-shaped or cylindrical capsule long and wide with the valves slightly protruding.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus wilcoxii'' was first formally described in 1987 by

Douglas John Boland Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

and David Arthur Kleinig in the journal ''

Brunonia ''Brunonia australis'', commonly known as the blue pincushion or native cornflower, is a perennial or annual herb that grows widely across Australia. It is found in woodlands, open forest and sand plains. In Cronquist's classification scheme ...

'' from specimens collected by Boland on the northern slope of Mother Woila Mountain in

Deua National Park Deua is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney, and east of Canberra. The nearest towns on the coast are Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma. A remote wilderness area of escarpments and gullies, waterfalls, limesto ...

in 1982. The specific epithet (''wilcoxii'') honours Michael David Wilcox who made one of the first collections of this species.

Distribution and habitat

Deua gum grows in poor soil on steep scree slopes near the headwaters of the Tuross and

Moruya River The Moruya River is an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary or tidal river is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. In its upper freshwater reaches, the river is known as the Deua River. Course a ...

s in the Deua and

Wadbilliga National Park Wadbilliga National Park is a national park that is located in high country spanning the Monaro and South Coast regions of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Location and features Wadbilliga National Park is located southwest of Sydney ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5405730 Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Trees of Australia Mallees (habit) Plants described in 1987