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Eucalyptus ancophila L.A.S.Johnson & K.D. Hill, Telopea
4: 82 (1990).
T: N.S.W., North Coast, 21 miles (33 km) NW of Kempsey, at western
ridge of Mungay Creek, Feb. 1975, T.J.Evans NSW 222245; holo:
NSW.
Tree to 35 m tall. Forming a lignotuber.
Grey ironbark throughout or on trunk and larger branches only,
smooth bark pale grey.
Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm):
stems square in cross-section; juvenile leaves petiolate, opposite
for 4 to 7 nodes then alternate, ovate becoming lanceolate, discolorous,
glossy, green.
Adult leaves alternate, petiolate; blade lanceolate, 9-20 cm
long, 1.8-4.8 cm wide, base tapering evenly to petiole, margin entire,
slightly discolorous (rarely concolorous), more or less glossy, green,
side-veins greater than 45° to midrib,
densely to very densely reticulate, intramarginal vein parallel to
and just within margin or well removed from it, oil glands few, mostly
intersectional.
Inflorescences terminal panicles, peduncles 0.3-1 cm long;
buds 7, pedicellate, ovoid to diamond-shaped, scar present, operculum
beaked to conical, most stamens inflexed but usually a few irregularly
flexed, with outer staminodes, anthers adnate, positioned obliquely
at filament tip, cuboid, dehiscing by terminal pores, style long,
locules 3 or 4, the placentae each with 4 vertical ovule rows; flowers
white.
Fruit pedicellate, obconical or barrel-shaped, 0.5-0.7 cm wide,
disc descending, valves 3 or 4, enclosed.
Seed brown, 1.4-2 mm long, flattened-ovoid or pointed at one
end, dorsal surface shallowly reticulate, hilum ventral.
Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons oblong;
stems squared in cross-section; leaves always petiolate, opposite
until nodes 4 to 7 then alternate, ovate to broadly so, 7.5-9.5 cm
long, 2.5-5.5 cm wide, base tapering, discolorous, dull, green, becoming
distinctly glossy after node 5.
NOTES
Eucalyptus ancophila (Greek ancophila, valley lover).
A medium-sized to tall forest tree known only from the Kempsey-Bellingen
districts of north-coastal New South Wales. One of a group of ironbarks
distinguished by the combination of discolorous leaves, terminal inflorescences
and flowers with staminodes. It has glossy green leaves which distinguish
it from E. fusiformis , non-ribbed or non-angled fruit, which
distinguishes it from E. tetrapleura and E. fusiformis ,
and longer leaves than E. placita.
Eucalyptus ancophila belongs in Eucalyptus subgenus
Symphyomyrtus section Adnataria because the buds have
two opercula, ovules are in four rows, seeds are flattened-ovoid,
cotyledons are reniform, and anthers are rigid on the staminal filaments.
Within section Adnataria, E. ancophila is part of a
subgroup, series Rhodoxylon subseries Discolores being
trees with ironbark, terminal inflorescences, buds that lose the outer
operculum early in developement, have inflexed stamens, the outer
stamens sterile (staminodes), a broad staminal ring that can often
be seen on the fruit but ultimately is deciduous, and discolorous
adult leaves. There are 4 other species in this subseries, E. placita
, E. dorsiventralis , E. paniculata and the restricted Queensland
endemic E. decolor.
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