Eucalyptus petraea
Eucalyptus petraea, commonly known as granite rock box, is a species of mallee or a small tree that is endemic to Western Australia. It has thin, ribbony or flaky to fibrous bark on the lower trunk, smooth greyish above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and conical fruit. Description. "Eucalyptus petraea" is a mallee or small tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has thin, ribbony to flaky or fibrous bark on the lowest of the trunk, smooth greyish bark above. Young plants and  coppice regrowth have lance-shaped leaves that are long and wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped, long and wide, tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets in groups of seven on a branched peduncle long, the individual buds on pedicels long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a blunt, conical operculum. Flowering occurs from January to February and from August to September and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody, conical capsule long and wide with the valves  below rim level. Taxonomy and naming. "Eucalyptus petraea" was first formally described in 1983 by Denis and Stella Carr in the journal "Nuytsia" from material they collected near Gnarlbine Rock in 1980. The specific epithet ("petraea") is from the Latin word "petraueus" meaning "growing among rocks". Distribution and habitat. Granite rock box grows in isolated locations near granite boulders between Coorow, Merredin and Karonie, east of Kalgoorlie.