Eucalyptus litoralis

Eucalyptus litoralis is a tree that typically grows to a height of 10 m (33 ft) and forms a lignotuber. The bark on the trunk is rough but thin, fibrous and greyish and on the branches smooth and pale grey. Young plants and coppice regrowth have stems that are more or less square in cross-section and leaves that are arranged in opposite pairs, sessile, egg-shaped to almost round, 35–125 mm (1.4–4.9 in) long and 30–115 mm (1.2–4.5 in) wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved, the same glossy green on both sides, 120–210 mm (4.7–8.3 in) long and 20–33 mm (0.79–1.30 in) wide on a petiole 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of seven on an unbranched peduncle 10–24 mm (0.39–0.94 in) long, the individual buds sessile or on pedicels up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long. Mature buds are cylindrical to spindle-shaped, 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide with a conical operculum. Flowering has been recorded in March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped or barrel-shaped capsule 7–11 mm (0.28–0.43 in) long and wide with the valves near rim level.[2][3][4]

Eucalyptus litoralis was first formally deacribed in 2004 by Kevin Rule from a specimen he collected near Anglesea in 2000. The description was published in the journal Muelleria.[4][5] The specific epithet (litoralis) is a Latin word meaning "pertaining to the "sea-shore", referring to the distribution of this species.[4]

Anglesea box grows in poor soils on sandstone ridges where it is often exposed to ocean wind. It is found in coastal areas from near Anglesea to Aireys Inlet with an outlier near Lorne.[4]

• List of Eucalyptus species