Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Phebalium squamulosum
Common name
Scaly Phebalium, Alpine Phebalium (subsps. alpinum and ozothamnoides), Silvery Phebalium (subsp. argenteum), Mountain Phebalium (subsp. ozothamnoides), Forest Phebalium (subsp. squamulosum)
Family
Rutaceae
Where found
Dry forest, woodland, heath, shrubland, rocky areas, and gullies.
subsp. alpinum: Kosciuszko National Park.
subsp. argenteum: Mainly coastal. Occasionally ranges and tablelands.
subsp. lineare: Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands, north from Jervis Bay. Kosciuszko National Park.
subsp. ozothamnoides: Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, ACT, and tablelands. Ranges west of Sydney.
subsp. squamulosum: Mainly coast and ranges. Occasionally elsewhere.
Notes
Shrub or tree to 7 m high. Stems with rusty scales, becoming smooth, occasionally warty. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, alternating up the stems, 0.7–7 cm long, 1–10 mm wide, upper surface hairless to sparsely stellate hairy and scaly, smooth or rarely rough, lower surface densely silvery to reddish brown stellate-tomentose or scaly (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see), midvein prominent on the lower surface, margins entire or somewhat finely scalloped, and flat, curved down or rolled down, tips squared off or notched. Flowers with 5 petals each 2–4.5 mm long, white to bright yellow on the inside and with rusty or silvery scales on the outside. Flowers in clusters of 3–10 flowers or more. Flowering: spring-summer.
Protected NSW.
subsp. alpinum: Compact to erect shrub to about 1.3 m high, the lower branchlets frequently prostrate. Leaves leathery, 0.7–1.5 cm long, 1.5–3.5 mm wide, tips blunt to rounded, upper surface smooth, glossy, thinly scaly when young, lower surface densely silvery- or rusty scaly. Flowers usually cream to yellow. Calyx and petals rusty scaly. Flowers summer.
Rare Vic.
VICFLORA description: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/2c1bf7fe-0b89-484d-828d-8aed48d0b2c5 (accessed 4 April 2021)
subsp. argenteum: Shrub or tree to 7 m high. Leaves papery, 1–7 cm long, 3–10 mm wide, tips rounded, upper surface scaly when young, dull, with a shallow midrib, lower surface with silvery scales. Flowers usually white to cream. Calyx and petals silvery-scaly. Flowers spring.
Vulnerable Vic.
subsp. lineare: Leaves 1–2.5 cm long, about 1 mm wide, smooth, strongly channelled above, tips squared off to blunt.
subsp. ozothamnoides: Compact shrub to 2 m high. Leaves papery, 0.7–1.6 cm long, 2–7 mm wide, tips rounded, margins curved down, upper surface stellate hairy (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see) when young, becoming hairless, smooth or slightly rough or scurfy, often shiny, midvein not impressed, lower surface smooth, silvery- to rusty- scaly. Flowers usually yellow. Calyx and petals silvery- to rusty- scaly. Flowers spring and summer.
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
Rare Vic.
subsp. squamulosum: Shrub or tree to 7 m high. Leaves papery or almost leathery, 1.5–5 cm long, 2–10 mm wide, upper surface smooth, rarely slightly rough, lower surface more or less with rusty scales, tips pointed, squared off, rounded, or notched. Flowers white to yellow. Calyx and petals silvery- to rusty- scaly. Flowers spring.
Rare Vic.
PlantNET description of all subspecies except subsp. alpinum: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Phebalium~squamulosum (accessed 4 April 2021)
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