Eucalyptus lansdowneana

Eucalyptus lansdowneana is a mallee that typically grows to a height of 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in–19 ft 8 in) and forms a lignotuber. It has about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) of rough, fibrous or flaky bark at the base, smooth, grey over creamy-white bark that is shed in short strips above. Young plants and coppice regrowth have broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves that are 70–100 mm (2.8–3.9 in) long and 25–35 mm (0.98–1.38 in) wide. Adult leaves are glossy green, lance-shaped, 85–155 mm (3.3–6.1 in) long and 15–27 mm (0.59–1.06 in) wide on a petiole 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long. The flower buds are arranged on both branched peduncles 3–14 mm (0.12–0.55 in) long on the ends of branchlets each branch with a group of seven buds and on unbranched peduncles in leaf axils, the individual buds sessile or on pedicels up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 in) long and 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering mainly occurs between August and October and the flowers are crimson, ageing to pink. The fruit is a woody barrel-shaped capsule 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long and 7–11 mm (0.28–0.43 in) wide with the valves below rim level.[3][4][5][6]

Eucalyptus lansdownea was first formally described in 1891 by Ferdinand von Mueller and John Ednie Brown in volume 9 of Brown's book, The forest flora of South Australia.[7] The specific epithet (lansdowneana) honours Thomas Lansdowne Browne, who collected the type specimens.

In 1974, Clifford David Boomsma described Eucalyptus lansdownea subsp. albopurpurea in the journal South Australian Naturalist[8] but in 2000, Dean Nicolle raised the subspecies to species level as E. albopurpurea. Eucalyptus albopurpurea has a larger, more robust habit, broader leaves, usually smaller buds and fruit and white, pink or purple flowers.[9]

Crimson mallee is restricted to the south western part of the Gawler Ranges where it grows in mallee vegetation on rocky outcrops and hilltops.[3][4]