Eucalyptus × balanopelex
Eucalyptus" × "balanopelex is a mallee that is endemic to a small area of the south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, broadly lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy-white flowers and hemispherical fruit. It is thought to be a hybrid between "E. kessellii" subsp. "eugnosta" and "E. semiglobosa". Description. "Eucalyptus " × "balanopelex" is a mallee that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth pale grey to brownish bark throughout. The leaves on young plants and on coppice regrowth are dull green, egg-shaped , long, wide and always have a petiole. Adult leaves are lance-shaped, sometimes broadly lance-shaped, long and wide with a petiole long. The adult leaves are usually the same glossy green on both side and have a dense network of veins. The flowers are arranged in groups of seven or nine in leaf axils on a pendulous peduncle long, the individual flowers on a pedicel long. The mature buds are oval, long and wide with a conical operculum about 50% longer than the floral cup. The flowers are creamy-white and the fruit is a hemispherical capsule, long and  wide with the valves protruding above the rim. The Australian Plant Census lists this species as a natural hybrid between "E. kessellii" subsp. "eugnosta" and "E. semiglobosa". Taxonomy and naming. "Eucalyptus" × "balanopelex" was first formally described in 1992 as "Eucalyptus balanopelex" by Lawrie Johnston and Ken Hill who published the description in the journal "Telopea". The specific epithet ("balanopelex") is derived from the Ancient Greek words "balanos" meaning "acorn" or "barnacle", and "pelex" meaning "a helmet", referring to the shape of the operculum. Distribution and habitat. This eucalypt grows on a low-lying sandplain near Esperance. In 2012, Dean  Nicolle and Malcolm French proposed that "E. balanopelex" is a hybrid of "E. kessellii" subsp. "eugnosta" and "E. semiglobosa" and should be delisted from the list of threatened flora. It is no longer listed by FloraBase.