Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieber ex Spreng. subsp. pauciflora

cabbage gum, snow gum, white Sally

Australia: widespread from a single population in southeast of Queensland, through higher areas of New South Wales and southern Victoria, central and north-eastern Tasmania, and a single population in the south-east of South Australia.

In New Zealand cultivated as a landscape tree of parks and tree collections, and in forestry trials; not recorded as naturalised.

Scattered records throughout New Zealand.

• A tree to 30 m tall or multi-stemmed shrub, with smooth bark over the whole trunk that is predominantly white, cream and grey, with yellow patches; branchlets may be waxy grey-white.
• Adult leaves parallel-veined, glossy, green, same colour above and below, alternate, stalked, blade slightly sickle-shaped to lanceolate or elliptic, to 200 mm long and 50 mm wide, usually the two sides of the leaf base meeting at different points on the midrib (oblique), vein reticulation sparse to moderate.
• Juvenile leaves that are dull, blue-green or waxy grey-white, opposite and stalkless or short-stalked for 2 to 5 pairs, then alternate, stalked, broadly lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, to 170 mm long and 85 mm wide, the bottom edge straight to rounded or tapering to the stalk, the two sides of the leaf base meeting at slightly different points on the midrib (oblique).
• Flowers in stalked clusters of 9 to 15 or more, in leaf axils, stalk of cluster round to angular, to 15 mm long; mature buds usually stalked (bud stalks to 6 mm long), broadly club-shaped, to 8 mm long and 5 mm wide, green to yellow or red tinged, or waxy grey-white, smooth or warty, bud cap conical to rounded, flowers white.
• Fruit a stalked or stalkless woody capsule, stalks to 5 mm long, capsule cup-shaped, funnel-shaped or sometimes rounded, to 13 mm long and 11 mm wide, may be waxy grey-white, disc variable, rim thick, valves 3(–4), near rim level or enclosed within the capsule.

Tree to 30 m tall or multi-stemmed shrub.

Bark shed in irregular patches from the whole trunk, leaving a smooth surface, predominantly white, cream and grey, with yellow patches; branchlets may be waxy grey-white or not; ribbons absent. Hairs and adventitious roots absent. Young stems rounded or square in cross-section, may be waxy grey-white or not, warty or smooth.

Adult leaves alternate, stalked, blade slightly sickle-shaped to lanceolate or elliptic, 60–200 mm long, 12–50 mm wide, the two sides of the leaf base meeting at different points on the midrib (oblique) or tapering to the stalk, same colour above and below, glossy, green, parallel-veined, vein reticulation sparse to moderate, intramarginal vein parallel to and well removed from margin, numerous oil glands; leaf stalk 8–33 mm long.

Juvenile leaves opposite and stalkless or short-stalked for 2 to 5 pairs then alternate, stalked, broadly lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 44–170 mm long, 20–85 mm wide, the bottom edge straight to rounded or tapering to the stalk, the two sides of the leaf base meeting at slightly different points on the midrib (oblique), dull, blue-green or waxy grey-white.

Flowers in stalked clusters of 9 to 15 or more, in leaf axils, stalk of cluster round to angular, 3–15 mm long; mature buds free, usually stalked (bud stalks to 6 mm long), broadly club-shaped, 4–8 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, green to yellow or red tinged, or waxy grey-white, smooth or warty, bud cap conical to rounded, flowers (stamens) white; in mature open flowers, petals and sepals absent. Main flowering period: spring and summer, with some flowering from late winter.

Capsules woody, stalked or stalkless, stalks to 5 mm long, capsule cup-shaped, funnel-shaped or rounded, 5–11(–13) mm long, 5–11 mm wide, waxy grey-white or not, disc variable, domed to ring-like or angled upwards, or level to slightly descending inside the capsule rim, valves 3(–4), near rim level or enclosed within the capsule.

Eucalyptus fraxinoides, E. delegatensis and E. pauciflora are blue-leaved ash eucalypts (referring to the colour of the juvenile leaves). Eucalyptus fraxinoides and E. delegatensis both have rough bark on the lower part of the trunk, but the bark of E. fraxinoides is compact, whereas the bark of E. delegatensis is fibrous. Eucalyptus pauciflora has smooth bark over the whole trunk and differs from all other ash eucalypts by the parallel side veins of the adult leaves. All three species can sometimes have some waxy grey-white (glaucous) parts, such as branchlets or young stems, buds, capsules or juvenile leaves, a feature unlikely to occur in other ash eucalypts.

There are six subspecies of E. pauciflora: four with very limited natural distribution and not known from New Zealand. Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. pauciflora has the most extensive natural distribution. There are a few records in trials and tree collections in New Zealand of E. pauciflora subsp. niphophila, which is restricted in its indigenous range to the highest altitudes suitable for tree growth in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, e.g. many places in the Kosciuszko National Park, also in the Australian Capital Territory, and on mountains in Victoria. It is reduced to a twisted, dense stunted tree, and differs from other subspecies by the more delicate, stalked buds and smaller leaves. Branchlets, buds and fruits are usually waxy grey-white.

Eucalyptus is a genus of nearly 800 species, most of which are endemic to Australia, with a few species extending to parts of Malesia and as far north as the Philippines.

• Australia’s Flora: Growing Native Plants
• EUCLID
• Flora of Australia
• GBIF
• iNaturalist NZ
• PlantNET: New South Wales Flora Online
• Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
• VicFlora: Flora of Victoria