Eucalyptus rummeryi


Eucalyptus rummeryi, commonly known as steel box, Rummery's box or brown box, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to northern New South Wales. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven on the ends of branchlets, white flowers and conical, hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit.

Description

Eucalyptus rummeryi is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, fibrous or flaky, grey to black bark on the trunk and branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have stems that are square in cross-section and leaves that are dull green, paler on the lower side, egg-shaped to lance-shaped, long and wide and petiolate. Adult leaves are glossy green, paler on the lower surface, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets in groups of three or seven on a branched peduncle long the individual buds on pedicels long. Mature buds are oval to spindle-shaped, long and wide with a conical operculum. Flowering occurs from November to December and the fowers are white. The fruit is a woody conical, hemispherical or cup-shaped capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus rummeryi was first formally described in 1923 by Joseph Maiden in his book A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus from material collected from Busby's Flat, near Casino by Edward George Rummery, in 1921. The specific epithet honours the collector of the type.

Distribution and habitat

Steel box grows on slopes and ridges in wet or grassy forest from Dorrigo to north-west of Casino.