page_title: Eucalyptus rhodantha
section_title: Reproduction
hierarchical_section_title: Eucalyptus rhodantha / Reproduction
caption_attribution_description: Hybrid Eucalyptus macrocarpa x rhodantha Kings Park, Perth, Australia
context_page_description: Eucalyptus rhodantha, commonly known as rose mallee, is species of straggly mallee or shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, a crown composed entirely of heart-shaped, sessile juvenile leaves arranged in opposite pairs, single flower buds in leaf axils, red flowers and pendent, hemispherical to conical fruit.
context_section_description: E. rhodantha has a mixed mating system; it reproduces mainly by outcrossing but is able to self-pollinate. Protandry doesn’t stop self-pollination in E. rhodantha, as plants can have numerous flowers in different stages at the same time. Single plants in remote settings have been found with seed, indicating that self-pollination occurs in E. rhodantha. Inbreeding besides self-pollination can also occur, most likely the result of mating between closely related plants.
  The mixed mating system of E. rhodantha is thought to be the result of outcrossing, which favours heterozynous offspring. Selection pressures throughout the species life cycle appear to favour heterozygosity, which has a significantly higher incidence in mature plants than seeds or seedlings.
caption: E. rhodantha inflorescence
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