Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Eucalyptus mannifera

Flowers, buds, and leaves. Photographer Jackie Miles, Gouldburn River national Park, NSW

Juvenile growth (subsp. mannifera). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Peter Ormay, Canberra, ACT

Line drawings (subsp. mannifera). l. juvenile (right) and adult (left) leaves; bud and gumnuts. KR Thiele, K.R., Australian National Herbarium, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board, Melbourne, Vic

Juvenile growth (subsp. praecox). Australian Plant Image Index, photographers Brooker & Kleinig, Lidsdale to Capertee

Tree (subsp. mannifera). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer D Kelly, Aranda, Canberra, ACT

Tree (subsp. praecox). Australian Plant Image Index, photographers Brooker & Kleinig, Lidsdale to Capertee

Common name

Brittle gum (all subspecies)

 Mountain spotted gum (subsp. gullickii), Red spotted gum, (subsp. mannifera)

Family

Myrtaceae

Where found

subsp. gullickii:  Near swampy areas. Ranges and tablelands north from Deua National Park.

subsp. mannifera:  Dry forest and woodland. Widespread. No coastal records.

subsp. praecox:  Woodland. Tablelands west of the Blue Mountains.

Notes

Tree to 25 m tall.  Bark smooth, powdery, shedding in short ribbons or plates or flakes.  Sometimes slabs of rough grey bark at the base of the trunk (subsps. gullickii, praecox).  Branchlets sometimes glaucous (subsp. praecox).  Juvenile stem rounded in cross section.  Juvenile leaves 3-18 cm long, 4.5-60 mm wide, green to blue- or grey-green, or slightly glaucous.  Adult leaves alternating up the stems, 5.5-18.5 cm long, 8-30 mm wide, glossy or dull, green to grey-green.  Flowers white, with 0 petals.  Mature flower buds 3–6 mm long, stalkless or stalked, caps shorter than or as long as the base.  Flowers most of the year.  Gumnuts 4-7 mm in diameter. Gumnuts that have dropped their seed have protruding valves or valves that are not very noticeable.

subsp. gullickii:  Juvenile leaves opposite each other for a few pairs then alternating up the stems, 3–9.5 cm long, 13-32 mm wide, dark green to grey-green. Adult leaves not drooping, 13–22 mm wide. Stalks of individual flowers thick. flower buds green to yellow. Flower clusters 7 flowered. 

EUCLID description:  https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/eucalyptus_mannifera_subsp._gullickii.htm  (accessed 1 May 2021)

subsp. mannifera:  Juvenile leaves opposite each other for 4-6 pairs then alternating up the stems, 4–10 cm long, 5-18 mm wide, more or less glaucous. Adult leaves 8–30 mm wide, drooping. Stalks of individual flowers slender. flower buds green to yellow to red. Flower clusters 7 flowered. 

Hybridises with Eucalyptus melliodora.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

EUCLID description:  https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/eucalyptus_mannifera_subsp._mannifera.htm  (accessed 1 May 2021)

PlantNET description (subsps. gullicki and mannifera):   http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Eucalyptus~mannifera  (accessed 1 May 2021)

subsp. praecox:  Juvenile leaves opposite each other for many pairs, 4.5–8.5 cm long, 45-60 mm wide. Adult leaves 10–30 mm wide, drooping. flower buds green to glaucous. Flower clusters 7-11 flowered. 

Eucalyptus lactea in PlantNET.

EUCLID description:  https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/eucalyptus_mannifera_subsp._praecox.htm  (accessed 1 May 2021)

PlantNET description (as Eucalyptus lactea):~ http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Eucalyptus~lactea  (accessed 1 May 2021)