Eucalyptus porosa (Mallee Box)

Eucalyptus porosa (Mallee Box)

Photograph by Sydney Oats. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Credits:
Description, Habitat and Distribution information is sourced from: G.M.Chippendale (2017) Eucalyptus porosa. In: Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Eucalyptus%20porosa Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

Growth Characteristics information is sourced from: State Flora Catalog, Government of South Australia Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

MALLEE BOX FACTS

distribution map showing range of Eucalyptus porosa in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License

Common Name
Mallee Box

Description
The Mallee Box is a mallee to 5 m or tree to 12 m. Bark rough, fibrous, grey-brown on trunk or lower stems of mallees, sometimes extending to larger branches of trees, then smooth and grey-white above. Juvenile leaves elliptic to ovate, dark green, slightly discolorous. Adult leaves lanceolate, uncinate; lamina 6-12 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, shining, green; lateral veins clearly visible, at 15° -40° ; intramarginal vein up to 3 mm from margin; petiole terete, 10-15 mm long. Conflorescence axillary, simple; umbels 7-flowered; peduncle quadrangular, 2-10 mm long; pedicels 2-4 mm long. Buds clavate to obovoid; operculum hemispherical to conical, 2-4 mm long, 3-4 mm wide; hypanthium obovoid, 2-4 mm long, c. 4 mm wide. Fruits ovoid to pyriform, 5-8 mm long, 5-6 mm wide; disc moderately broad, descending; valves 4 or 5, included.

Habitat
Grows mainly in shallow calcareous soil in gently undulating areas in woodland.

Distribution
Occurs widely in south-eastern S.A., south-western N.S.W. and north-western Vic.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 5 - 14
Spread (m): 5 - 12
Soil Texture: sand, loam, clay, limestone
Soil pH: acid soils, neutral soils, alkaliine soils
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 300
Flower Colour: white
Flower Season: spring

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)

Classification

Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	porosa
Common Name:	Mallee Box

Relatives in same Genus
  Eucalyptus acaciiformis
  Eucalyptus accedens
  Eucalyptus acies
  Eucalyptus albens
  Eucalyptus bancroftii
  Eucalyptus baxteri
  Eucalyptus caleyi
  Eucalyptus camaldulensis
  Eucalyptus camphora
  Eucalyptus cloeziana
  Eucalyptus crebra
  Eucalyptus crenulata
  Eucalyptus curtisii
  Eucalyptus dealbata
  Eucalyptus dumosa
  Eucalyptus eugenioides
  Eucalyptus forrestiana
  Eucalyptus goniocalyx
  Eucalyptus grandis
  Eucalyptus intertexta
  Eucalyptus largiflorens
  see A-Z list for more ...