404 
Telopea 9(2): 2001 
Type: New South Wales: Central Tablelands: Mt Canobolas State Recreation Area, c. 14 km 
south-west of Orange, 33°20T1" 154°58’22", on margin of trachyte outcrop, 1200 m 
altitude, J.T. Hunter 8556, 2 June 1998 (holo NSW; iso BRI, CANB, MEL). 
Small tree 6-15 m tall with a box bark persistent to larger branches, then shed in long 
strips. Stems terete, glandular to erect-warty on juvenile and sucker stems. Juvenile 
leaves orbicular becoming broadly ovate, glaucous, 1.5-4 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, 
margins crenulate and slightly recurved, opposite becoming subopposite at about the 
fourth internode, apex rounded and mucronate to shortly acute, base deeply cordate, 
sessile. Intermediate leaves broadly ovate elliptic to broad lanceolate, 4-13 cm long, 
3-6.5 cm wide, falcate, alternate, ± glaucous, apex acuminate and ± hooked, base 
rounded to attenuate and oblique, with petioles 1-4 cm long. Adult leaves alternate, 
linear to narrow lanceolate, 12.5-23 cm long, 1.1-2.3 cm wide, with conspicuous oil 
dots, conspicuously glossy and dark green, never glaucous, falcate, margins entire, 
apex acuminate and often hooked, base attenuate and oblique, petiole terete to 
flattened, channeled, 2-4 cm long, venation 25-35 degrees to midrib, intramarginal 
vein 0.8-1.4 mm from the margin, midrib flat to channelled above. Inflorescence of 
7-flowered axillary umbellasters. Peduncle flattened to ovoid in section, 1-4 mm long 
in bud, 3-9 mm long in fruit; pedicel 1-2.4 mm long in bud, absent or to 3 mm long in 
fruit. Buds turbinoid to clavoid, 3.5-4.5 mm long, 2.3-2.7 mm wide, not glaucous; 
calyptra hemispherical to shortly beaked hemispherical, 1.5-2.3 mm long, 2.3-2.7 mm 
wide; hypanthium obloid, 1.5-2.4 mm long, 2.2-2.6 mm wide. Ovules in 4 rows; style 
terete, 2-3 mm long. Stamens irregularly indexed; filaments 2.5-3.5 mm long; anthers 
dorsifixed, parallel, 0.5-0.6 mm long, white, dehiscence longitudinal; connective oil 
gland orbicular and abaxial. Fruits hemispherical, 3.5-5.2 long, 4.3-6 mm wide, 
slightly ribbed, often splitting on one side, disc level to convex, 0.4-0.8 mm wide, scar 
distinct; valves 3-4, level to exserted. Seeds smooth to shallowly reticulate, red-brown 
to yellow-brown, cuboid, strongly angular, rounded terminal or central Mum on flat 
polygonal surface, 0.9-1 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide. Cotyledons bilobed. (Fig. 1). 
Selected specimens examined: New South Wales: Central Tablelands: Mt Canobolas State 
Recreation Area, c. 14 km south-west of Orange, on margin of trachyte outcrop, 1200 m altitude. 
Hunter 8568-8569 ,3 June 1998; Hunter 1 7502 ,20 Sept 1999; Hunter 17565, Bryant and Beckers, 23 Sept 
1999 (all MEL, NSW). 
Distribution: small and closely scattered stands of Eucalyptus saxicola occur on the 
northern slope of Mt Canobolas near the summit. The species dominates the shallow 
soils on acid volcanic outcrops and their margins. The population is only known from 
a handful of small outcrops scattered over a distance of about 1 km long and 0.3 km 
wide. These populations are dissected by three major access roads to the summit. 
Habitat: Eucalyptus saxicola is found in open and exposed situations on and around the 
margins of trachytic rock outcrops between 1150-1300 m above sea level. The mean 
annual rainfall of this area is 850-950 mm. Associated species include Eucalyptus 
canobolensis in the overstorey and Cassinia uncata, Phebalium scjuamulosum, Mirbelia 
oxylobioides, Dodonaea viscosa, Calytrix tetragona, Leptospermum myrtifolium and 
Leucopogon attenuatus in the understorey. 
Notes: bilobed cotyledons, axillary inflorescences and versatile anthers place 
E. saxicola within the Section Maidenaria, while sessile and ovate juvenile leaves and 
the annular disc of the fruit place the species within the Series Bridgesianae (Pryor 
& Johnson 1971). The fibrous persistent bark and the distinctly crenulate juvenile 
leaves allies this species with Eucalyptus angophoroides and E. bridgesiana (Chappill & 
Ladiges 1996). In general morphology E. saxicola is most similar to E. bridgesiana, 
particular fruit shape. E. bridgesiana is common particularly at lower altitudes within 
the Mt Canobolas State Recreation Area but is ecologically distinct from £. saxicola in 
occurring on deeper soils. E. saxicola differs morphologically from the co-occurring 
