About Eucalyptus phenax Brooker & Slee
Eucalyptus phenax Brooker & Slee is a mallee or shrub that typically grows 3–8 m (9.8–26.2 ft) tall and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth, creamy grey bark that is shed in ribbons. Young plants and coppice regrowth have egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves 40–90 mm (1.6–3.5 in) long and 9–30 mm (0.35–1.18 in) wide. Adult leaves are glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped, 50–120 mm (2.0–4.7 in) long, 8–35 mm (0.31–1.38 in) wide, and grow on a petiole 7–30 mm (0.28–1.18 in) long. Flower buds are arranged in leaf axils, usually in groups of seven or nine, on an unbranched peduncle 3–18 mm (0.12–0.71 in) long. Individual buds are sessile or borne on pedicels up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long. Mature buds are cylindrical to oval, 7–11 mm (0.28–0.43 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide, with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering occurs between October and May, and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped to cylindrical capsule 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide. This eucalypt grows in mallee scrubs, and is widely distributed across southwest Western Australia, southeast South Australia, and northwest Victoria. It is most common in Western Australia, where it occurs from near Bolgart through the southern wheatbelt to Esperance. Subspecies compressa is only known from the eastern side of Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula.
