Kingdom Plantae Family Myrtaceae Rank Species | Order Myrtales Genus Eucalyptus | |
Similar Eucalyptus cretata, Eucalyptus copulans, Eucalyptus angophoroides, Eucalyptus dura, Eucalyptus brownii | ||
Eucalyptus bakeri, commonly known as Baker's mallee or the mallee box, is a eucalypt that is native to Queensland and New South Wales.
The tree or mallee typically grows to a height of 6 metres (20 ft) and has bark that is grey to brown in colour and is compact fibrous to flaky on the trunk becoming smooth white or grey above that sheds in ribbons through the year. The adult leaves are disjunct with concolorous, green or yellow-green and glossy appearance. The leaf blade has a narrow lanceolate and is 7 to 9 centimetres (2.8 to 3.5 in) long and 0.7 to 1 cm (0.28 to 0.39 in) wide.
When the tree flowers between October and November it produces 7 to 13 white flowered umbellasters with a terete or angular peduncle that is 5 to 15 millimetres (0.20 to 0.59 in) long. The buds have a cylindrical or fusiform shape and are 5 to 10 mm (0.20 to 0.39 in) in length and have a diameter of 2 to 3 mm (0.08 to 0.12 in). The fruit that follows have a globose to hemispherical shape and are 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in) long with a 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) diameter.
The range of the tree extends from eastern central Queensland though to the north east of New South Wales where it is in shrubland on shallow sandy soils.
It is able to tolerate drought and light frost and will grow in ordinary to enriched and mildly acidic or alkaline soils. It is cultivated for use in gardens as a bird attracting shade tree, windbreak or coppice which has a medium growth rate.