''Eucalyptus stellulata'', commonly known as black sallee or black sally, is a species of small tree or a mallee 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 higher altitude regions of south-eastern Australia. it has rough bark on the lower part of the trunk smooth greenish bark above, lance-shaped to elliptical leaves, flower buds in group of between nine and fifteen, white flowers and cup-shaped or shortened spherical fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus stellulata'' is a tree or 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 respons ...

. It has rough, shortly fibrous greyish bark on the lower trunk, smooth olive green bark that is somewhat oily above. 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 sessile, elliptical leaves arranged in opposite pairs, long and wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped to elliptical, long and wide tapering to a petiole long. The leaf veins are almost parallel. The flower buds are arranged in leaf

axil A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

s in a star-like cluster of between nine and fifteen on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds sessile. Mature buds are spindle-shaped, long and about wide with a pointed, conical operculum. Flowering occurs between February and May and the flowers are white. The fruit is a sessile, cup-shaped or shortened spherical capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.A Field Guide to Eucalypts - Brooker & Kleinig volume 1, page 108

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus stellulata'' was first formally described in 1828 by the Swiss botanist

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss people, Swiss botany, botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple ...

in his book '' Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis''. 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 ...

(''stellulata'') is derived from a

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 ...

word meaning "little star" and refers to the appearance of the clustered flower buds. The ''

Australian Oxford Dictionary The ''Australian Oxford Dictionary'', sometimes abbreviated as ''AOD'', is a dictionary of Australian English published by Oxford University Press.Warden, Ian "Some Balltearers For The Scrabble Board" 27 October 1999 Canberra Times P7 The ''AOD' ...

'' gives the origin of "sally" and "sallee" as British dialect variants of "sallow", meaning "a willow tree, especially one of a low-growing or shrubby kind". The

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

people of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

use the name ''guulany'' for the species.

Distribution and habitat

Black sallee occurs from near Tenterfield in New South Wales and southwards along the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

to the eastern highlands of Victoria. It is a common plant in grassy eucalyptus woodland, often near swamps and by streams. The soils are usually of a relatively good fertility.

Gallery

File:Eucalyptus stellulata (black sallee) - trunk bark 01.jpg, trunk bark File:Black Sallee Mount Tomah.jpg, leaves, showing sub-parallel leaf venation

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4529688 stellulata Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of the Australian Capital Territory Plants described in 1828