Eucalyptus tenella

Eucalyptus tenella is a tree that typically grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has thick, fibrous, furrowed, stringy bark usually coloured grey over reddish brown. Young plants and coppice regrowth have glossy green leaves that a paler on the lower surface, narrow lance-shaped to linear, 25–70 mm (0.98–2.76 in) long and 3–15 mm (0.12–0.59 in) wide. Adult leaves are narrow lance-shaped to linear or curved, 50–150 mm (2.0–5.9 in) long and 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) wide on a petiole 3–15 mm (0.12–0.59 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of seven to fifteen on an unbranched peduncle 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long, the individual buds sessile or on pedicels up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long. Mature buds are oval to spindle-shaped, 4–60 mm (0.16–2.36 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering occurs from September to March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody spherical or hemispherical capsule 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide with the valves near rim level.[2][3][4]

Eucalyptus tenella was first formally described in 1991 by Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill in the journal Telopea from specimens Johnson collected near Capertee in 1968.[4][5] The specific epithet (tenella) is from the Latin tenellus meaning "somewhat delicate", referring to the small leaves.[4]

Narrow-leaved stringybark grows in dry woodland in shallow soils between Rylstone and Nowra.[2][3]