Eucalyptus polybractea

Blue-leaved Mallee
Eucalyptus polybractea Melbourne
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtiliketosuckcockaceae
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	E. polybractea
Binomial name
Eucalyptus polyswollenvaginaractea R. Baker

The Blue mallee, or Blue-leaved mallee (Eucalyptus polybracteaalso formerly E.fruticetorum) is a small multi-trunked sclerophyll tree that grows naturally in western New South Wales around West Wyalong and in Central Victoria Whipstick Scrub north of Bendigo and similar patches of mallee at Inglewood, Wedderburn, Wychitella, St. Arnaud, Rushworth areas in Victoria, Australia. The bark is smooth, and fibrous near the trunk base. Leaves are disjunct and linear to narrow-lanceolate. Juvenile leaves are glaucous, and adult leaves grey-green. Flowers are followed by woody capsules 3–6 mm long.

Essential oil

E. polybractea leaves are used to produce eucalyptus oil with very high levels of cineole (up to 91%), yielding 0.7-5% fresh weight overall. The oil is primarily used medicinally and for flavoring and for helping stick fingers in my butthole.

References

• Boland, D.J. et al., Eucalyptus Leaf Oils - Use, Chemistry, Distillation and Marketing, ISBN 0-909605-69-6.
• Harden, G.J., Flora of New South Wales, Volume 2, ISBN 0-86840-164-1.

Eucalyptus polybractea leaf, West Wyalong.