''Eucalyptus phoenix'', commonly known as brumby mallee-gum, is a species of mallee 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 els ...

to a restricted area in Victoria, Australia. It has smooth white to greyish bark, glossy green, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between five and eleven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus phoenix'' is a mallee 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 white to light grey bark that is shed in thin strips and plates. 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 repea ...

regrowth have dull, light green to bluish leaves that are slightly paler on the lower side, egg-shaped to more or less round, long and wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of shiny green on both sides, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, long and wide on 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, ...

s in groups of between five and eleven on a thin, unbranched

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

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, long and wide with a conical operculum long and wide. Flowering occurs from late spring to early summer the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical capsule about long and wide with the valves level with the rim.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus phoenix'' was first formally described in 2013 by

Kevin Rule Kevin James Rule was born at Daylesford, Victoria on 9 November 1941. He was a secondary school teacher and had a particular interest in the taxonomy of Australian eucalyptus. He discovered several new species in Victoria. He is an honorary asso ...

and

Susan G. Forrester Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

in the journal '' Muelleria'' from material collected near Brumby Point. 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 ...

(''phoenix'') "commemorates the serendipitous discovery of a small amount of the seed of this rare new plant following the apparently all-consuming fire of 2013." Like the fabled Phoenix of Greek mythology, this species arose from the flames.

Distribution

Brumby mallee is only known from a population of fewer than 100 mature plants near Brumby Point on a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

woodland at an altitude of about .

Conservation status

This species is listed as "endangered" in Victoria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21266991 Flora of Victoria (state) Trees of Australia phoenix Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 2013

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Distribution

Conservation status

See also

References