Description
It is a mallee Eucalyptus and grows to between 1.5m and 10 metres in height. The canopy of the tree is dense and rounded and the leaves are elliptical to orbicular. The bark is smooth and light brown, ageing to grey.
A distinctive feature of this species are its elongated flat peduncles which are about 3 cm long and 1 cm wide. These are referred to in its specific name platypus which is derived from the Greek words πλατύς (platy: flat, broad) and πους (pous: foot). The peduncles support stalkless buds with long, conical caps in clusters of up to seven. These are followed by greenish-yellow (or occasionally white, cream or (rarely) red) flowers in spring and summer which are to some degree obscured by the dense foliage.
It was first described by William Jackson Hooker in 1851, from the type specimen collected near King George Sound by James Drummond.
Read more about this topic: Eucalyptus Platypus
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