Common name: Scaly Phebalium
Phebalium squamulosum Vent. APNI* Description: Shrub to slender tree, 1–7 m high; stems with rusty scales, becoming glabrous, smooth or rarely warty.
Leaves 0.7–7 cm long, 1.5–8 mm wide, dense silvery to reddish brown stellate-tomentose or scaly below, midvein prominent on lower surface.
Inflorescences sessile or shortly pedunculate; pedicels 3–8 mm long with a minute basal bract. Calyx shortly hemispherical or ± turbinate, scaly outside, margin truncate to undulate, rarely triangular toothed. Petals 2.2–4.5 mm long, pale to bright yellow on inside and with rusty or silvery scales on outside.
Cocci erect, c. 3.5 mm long, apex truncate or slightly rounded.
Flowering: mainly spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread, chiefly in heath and dry sclerophyll forest on sandstone.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, NWP, SWS, SWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic.
Intergrades occur between many of the subspecies, and this sometimes makes it difficult to assign some species to a taxon satisfactorily.
Text by P.H. Weston & G.J. Harden
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Phebalium squamulosum subsp. alpinum
| | Key to the subspecies | |
| 1 | Leaves variable, mostly linear to oblong or lanceolate, or elliptic to broad-elliptic or obovate. | 2 |
| Leaves oblong-obovate to broad-obovate or ± circular, 0.7–1.1 cm long. Leaves 3.5–7 mm wide, margins entire, apex rounded, upper surface stellate (when young) to glabrous, smooth or slightly scabrous, midvein not impressed, lower surface smooth. | subsp. ozothamnoides |
| 2 | Leaves elliptic to broad-elliptic or obovate to ± oblong, 1.5–5 cm long, 2–10 mm wide. | 3 |
| Leaves linear and 1–2.5 cm long, or oblong to narrow-elliptic and mostly 0.6–1.5 cm long and 1–2 mm wide.
Back to 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Flowers yellow; stems and leaves (and usually calyces) not warty. | 4 |
| Flowers white; stems, upper surface of leaves, and calyces glandular-warty. Leaves ± oblong-elliptic, 1.5–3 cm long, 2.5–6 mm wide, apex rounded to truncate or slightly retuse, margins flat or slightly recurved, upper surface stellate when young, lower surface silvery scaly.
Back to 2 | subsp. verrucosum |
| 4 | Leaves glabrous on upper surface even in bud. | 5 |
| Leaves stellate-scaly on upper surface at least when young.
Back to 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Leaves oblong to ± elliptic or lanceolate, apex rounded to acute; calyx truncate. Leaves 1.5–5 cm long, 2–10 mm wide, apex acute to obtuse, truncate or retuse, upper surface ± smooth, not glandular-warty, lower surface with ± rusty scales. | subsp. squamulosum |
| Leaves broad-oblong to ± elliptic, apex ± obtuse; calyx prominently undulate. Leaves c. 2.5 cm long and 5 mm wide, smooth and drying pale green above, with dense silvery scales on lower surface.
Back to 4 | subsp. coriaceum |
| 6 | Leaves narrow-oblong, apex obtuse to truncate or retuse, usually with ± rusty scales. | subsp. squamulosum |
| Leaves oblong-elliptic to broad-elliptic or oblong-obovate, apex rounded, lower surface of leaves and flowers with silvery scales. Leaves 1–3.5 cm long, 3–10 mm wide, upper surface stellate-scaly when young with a shallow midrib, lower surface with silvery stellate scales.
Back to 4 | subsp. argenteum |
| 7 | Leaves ± oblong or narrow-elliptic, c. 2 mm wide. Leaves 0.7–2 cm long, apex rounded to obtuse or acute, upper surface smooth, glabrous, with a fine, impressed midvein. | subsp. gracile |
| Leaves linear or narrow-oblong, c. 1 mm wide.
Back to 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Leaves narrow-oblong to ± terete, 0.6–1 cm long, prominently warty. Stems glandular-warty. Leaves 0.7–1 mm wide, margins entire or glandular-crenate, apex rounded, upper surface rounded, glossy, glandular-warty, deeply grooved, lower surface smooth. | subsp. parvifolium |
| Leaves linear, 1–2.5 cm long, smooth. Leaves c. 1 mm wide, strongly channelled above, apex truncate to obtuse.
Back to 7 | subsp. lineare |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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