Eucalyptus ancophila
Eucalyptus ancophila in the Waite Arboretum
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	E. ancophila
Binomial name
Eucalyptus ancophila L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill[2]

Eucalyptus ancophila is a tree endemic to a small area of New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has grey "ironbark", glossy green, lance-shaped leaves, flower buds arranged in a branching inflorescence with seven oval to diamond-shaped buds in each umbel, white flowers and conical or barrel-shaped fruit.

Description

Eucalyptus ancophila is a tree with rough, grey "ironbark" that grows to a height of 35 m (100 ft), sometimes with smooth pale grey bark on its thinner branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have four-sided stems and egg-shaped, later lance-shaped leaves, that are a paler shade of green on the lower side. The blade of the adult leaves are lance-shaped 90–200 mm (4–8 in) long and 18–4.8 mm (0.7–0.2 in) wide and only slightly paler on the lower side. The flower buds are arranged in a branching inflorescence, each branch with an umbel of seven buds. The groups have a peduncle 3–14 mm (0.1–0.6 in) long and the individual flowers a pedicel 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The buds are oval to diamond-shaped, 6–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide with a beaked to conical operculum that is shorter and narrower than the flower cup. Flowering has been recorded in November and the flowers are white. The fruit is a cone-shaped or barrel-shaped capsule 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide on a pedicel 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long.^[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus ancophila was first formally described in 1990 by Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill and the description was published in Telopea from a specimen collected near Kempsey.^[2] The specific epithet (ancophila) is from the Ancient Greek words ankos meaning "mountain glen" or "valley"^[6]: 830 and philos, meaning "dear one" or "friend"^[6]: 355 referring to this species' habitat.^[5]

Distribution and habitat

This eucalypt usually grows along creeks or in the bottom of valleys in the Kempsey and Bellingen districts.^[4][5]

References