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Australian Systematic Botany Australian Systematic Botany Society
Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Two new rare species and a new hybrid in Eucalyptus series Tetrapterae (Myrtaceae) from southern coastal Western Australia

Stephen D. Hopper A C and Nathan K. McQuoid B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK, and Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B 645 Stoneville Road, Mundaring, WA 6073, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: s.hopper@kew.org

Australian Systematic Botany 22(3) 180-192 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB06034
Submitted: 7 October 2006  Accepted: 19 March 2009   Published: 10 June 2009

Abstract

Three new rare taxa allied to the conspicuous, common four-winged mallee (Eucalyptus tetraptera Turcz.) are described. E. sweedmaniana is a large-leaved and prostrate coastal mallee known only from Mount Arid, Western Australia. E. brandiana, a non-lignotuberous mallet, occupies spongolite hilltops and escarpments near the Fitzgerald River Inlet in Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia. A single hybrid mallet, E. arborella × brandiana, is described from the type locality of E. brandiana. Both new species and the new hybrid show potential for horticultural use, given their compact habit, large leaves and conspicuous red floral hypanthia and fruits. E. arborella × brandiana and E. brandiana are particularly at risk, being highly localised endemics that are killed by fire.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Paul Wilson and an anonymous referee for providing the Latin diagnoses, and to Grady Brand and Amanda Shade for growing seedlings at Kings Park and Botanic Garden. Luke Sweedman accompanied us on field trips, pertinent to resolving the status of the new taxa, and assisted with the analysis of cultivated seedlings. Three referees provided constructive comments that materially improved the manuscript. Rhian Smith (RBG Kew), through Peter Stafford (Natural History Museum) and the staff of the National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL), Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, provided access to images of isotypes of Eucalyptus acutangula Turcz. Rhian Smith kindly prepared Fig. 3. The Director of the Western Australian Herbarium (PERTH) provided access to herbarium specimen localities through FloraBase.


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