Eucalyptus patellaris
Eucalyptus patellaris, commonly known as weeping box, is a species of tree that is endemic to the Northern Territory in Australia. It has rough, fibrous to flaky bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and bell-shaped or cup-shaped fruit. Description. "Eucalyptus patellaris" is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, greyish, flaky or fibrous bark on the trunk and branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull green, egg-shaped leaves that are long  and wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped or curved, the same shade of green on both sides, long and wide, tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets on a branched peduncle long, the individual buds in groups of seven on pedicels long. Mature buds are pear-shaped to oval, long and wide with a conical or beaked operculum. Flowering occurs from November to February and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, bell-shaped or cup-shaped capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level. Taxonomy. "Eucalyptus patellaris  was first formally described in 1859 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Journal of the Proceedings of the Linneany Society, Botany" from material collected from the upper part of the Roper River. The specific epithet ("patellaris") is from Latin, meaning "pan" or "knee-cap", referring to the shape of the operculum in the original, possibly diseased buds. Distribution and habitat. Weeping box grows in open forest and woodland in gentle slopes and on river flats in the Top End of the Northern Territory in scattered locations. Some sources list this species as occurring in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, but  recent research indicates that these specimens are a new species, "E. xerothermica".