Eucalyptus × balanites, commonly known as Cadda Road mallee, is a tree or a mallee that is endemic to a small area of the south-west of Western Australia.[2] It has rough, corky or flaky bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of eleven, creamy-white flowers and hemispherical to cup-shaped fruit.
flower budsfruitbark
Description
Eucalyptus × balanites is a mallee or a tree that typically grows to a height of 5 metres (16 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, corky or flaky, pale grey to yellowish bark on its trunk and larger branches and thin papery bark on the upper stems. The leaves on young plants and on coppice regrowth are elliptical, up to 65 mm (3 in) long, 35 mm (1 in) wide and always have a petiole. Adult leaves are usually lance-shaped, 65–135 mm (3–5 in) long and 9–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) wide with a petiole 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long. The flowers are arranged in groups of eleven in leaf axils on a peduncle 7–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long, the individual flowers on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long. The mature buds are oval, 8–11 mm (0.31–0.43 in) long and 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) wide with a rounded to conical operculum. There is a constriction at the base of the operculum. Flowering occurs from October to February and the flowers are creamy-white. The fruit is a hemispherical to cup-shaped capsule, 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) wide with the valves not protruding above the rim.[3][4]
Eucalyptus × balanites was first formally described in 1992 as Eucalyptus balanites by Peter Grayling and Ian Brooker who published the description in the journal Nuytsia.[5][4] The specific epithet (balanites) is derived from the Ancient Greek word balanos meaning "acorn" or "barnacle",[6] referring to the shape of the flower buds.[4]
