Eucalyptus hebetifolia

Eucalyptus hebetifolia is a species of mallee that is endemic to southern Western Australia. It has smooth grey and brownish bark with loose ribbons of bark near the base, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of up to thirteen, creamy white flowers and conical to barrel-shaped fruit.
Description.
"Eucalyptus hebetifolia" is a mallee that typically grows to a height of and has loose, rough bark on the lower half of the trunk, smooth grey and brownish bark above. Young plants and coppice regrowth have broadly lance-shaped leaves long and wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped, the same dull bluish green on both sides, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of up to thirteen on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds on pedicels long. Mature buds are spindle-shaped, long and wide with a conical operculum about twice as long as the floral cup. Flowering occurs between December and March and the flowers are creamy white or very pale yellow. The fruit is a woody barrel-shaped to conical capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.
Taxonomy and naming.
"Eucalyptus hebetifolia" was first formally described in 1991 by Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper from a specimen collected near Tincurrin. The description was published in the journal "Nuytsia". The specific epithet "hebetifolia" is derived from the Latin "hebes", 'dull' and "folium", 'leaf', referring to the dull leaves that contrast with those of "E. phaenophylla".
Distribution and habitat.
This mallee grows on higher ground in undulating terrain in sandy-loamy soils over laterite, mainly in the central wheatbelt.
Conservation status.
"Eucalyptus hebetifolia" is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.