''Angophora inopina'', commonly known as the Charmhaven apple, is a species of small, often multi-stemmed tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the Central Coast of New South Wales. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white or creamy white flowers and ribbed, cup-shaped fruit.

Description

''Angophora inopina'' is a tree, often multi-stemmed, 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 respons ...

. It has greyish, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches. Young plants and

coppice Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...

regrowth have more or less sessile, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves that are long, wide and arranged in opposite pairs. Adult leaves are also arranged in opposite pairs, leathery, usually glossy green but paler on the lower side, lance-shaped or curved, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets in groups of three or seven on a bristly, branched peduncle long, the individual buds on

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branch ...

long. Mature buds are globe-shaped, long and wide with white or creamy white petals that are long and wide with a green keel. Flowering has been observed in December and the fruit is a bristly, cup-shaped capsule long and wide with longitudinal ribs and the valves enclosed in the fruit.

Taxonomy and naming

''Angophora inopina'' was first formally described in 1997 by Ken Hill from specimens collected near

Charmhaven Charmhaven is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. ...

in the same year. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''inopina'') is from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''inopinatus'', meaning "unexpected", referring to the occurrence of this previously undescribed species near Sydney.

Distribution and habitat

Charmhaven apple grows sandy soil over sandstone in woodland with a dense, shrubby understorey. It has a patchy distribution from Lake Macquarie to near the

Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...

and is most common in the

Wyong Wyong () is a town on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately South-South-West of Newcastle and North-North-East of the state capital Sydney. Established in , it is one of the two administrative centres fo ...

and Lake Macquarie local government areas.

Conservation status

This eucalypt 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 cult ...

'' and the New South Wales Government '' Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995''. The main threats to the species are habitat loss and fragmentation, changes to the water table, frequent fires, trampling and competition from weeds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4242097 inopina Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1997