''Eucalyptus umbra'', known as the broad-leaved white mahogany, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to northern New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous to stringy bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to fifteen, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus umbra'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. Young plants and coppice regrowth have sessile leaves that are broadly egg-shaped to lance shaped, long, wide, held horizontally and arranged in opposite pairs with the bases surrounding the stem. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same shade of green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide, tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are mostly arranged in

panicles A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are ...

on the ends of branchlets on a

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 long. Mature buds are oval, about long and wide with a conical to beaked operculum. Flowering occurs from September to February and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped to hemispherical capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level or below it.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus umbra'' was first formally described in 1901 by Richard Thomas Baker in ''

Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society succ ...

''. 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 ...

is a Latin word meaning "shade" or "shadow", possibly referring to the shade provided by the tree.

Distribution and habitat

The broad-leaved white mahogany occurs in the high rainfall coastal areas of New South Wales between

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 ...

and

Grafton Grafton may refer to: Places Australia * Grafton, New South Wales Canada * Grafton, New Brunswick * Grafton, Nova Scotia * Grafton, Ontario England * Grafton, Cheshire * Grafton, Herefordshire *Grafton, North Yorkshire * Grafton, Oxfordshi ...

. It grows in dry sclerophyll forest or woodland, usually on poor shallow dry soils. It differs from the white mahogany (''

Eucalyptus latisinensis ''Eucalyptus latisinensis'', commonly known as white mahogany, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough, fibrous to stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to eleven or more, white ...

'') of coastal Queensland in having broader juvenile leaves. ''Eucalyptus umbra'' is part of the white mahogany group as recognised by Ken Hill. Others in the group include '' E. acmenoides'', '' E. mediocris'', '' E. carnea'', '' E. apothalassica'', '' E. helidonica'', '' E. psammitica'' and '' E. latisinensis''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5405725 umbra Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Trees of Australia Plants described in 1901 Taxa named by Richard Thomas Baker