Eucalyptus viridis


Eucalyptus viridis, commonly known as the green mallee, is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It has rough fibrous or flaky bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and cup-shaped fruit.

Description

Eucalyptus viridis is a mallee or small tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, dark grey, fibrous or flaky bark on the lower stems, smooth greyish brown above, or sometimes entirely smooth bark. Yount plants and coppice regrowth have linear to narrow lance-shaped or narrow elliptical leaves that are long and wide. Adult leaves are glossy green, narrow linear to narrow lance-shaped, curved or narrow elliptical leaves that are long and wide, tapering to a petiole up to long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets in groups of seven or nine on an branched peduncle long, the individual buds on pedicels long. Mature buds are oval to diamond-shaped, long and wide with a conical operculum. Flowering has been observed in most months and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus viridis was first formally described in 1900 by Richard Thomas Baker in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. The specific epithet is a Latin word meaning "green".

Distribution and habitat

The green mallee grows in mallee shrubland on plains and gently undulating country. It occurs in Queensland, mainly south from Taroom, through the western slopes and plains of New South Wales, near Bendigo and in the Little Desert National Park in Victoria to the south east of South Australia.

Uses

This eucalypt is important in the production of honey and the leaves are harvested for cineole based eucalyptus oil.