Phebalium verrucosum

Phebalium verrucosum is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 5 m (16 ft) and has branchlets covered with white scales. Its leaves are narrow elliptic, oblong or linear, 13–38 mm (0.51–1.50 in) long and 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) wide on a petiole 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The upper surface of the leaves is warty and the lower surface is covered with silvery and rust-coloured scales. The flowers are arranged in umbels of mostly three to five flowers on the ends of branchlets, sometimes singly in adjacent leaf axils, each flower on a pedicel 2.5–6 mm (0.098–0.236 in) long and covered with star-shaped white hairs. The sepals are joined at the base to form a cup-shaped calyx 2 mm (0.079 in) wide, warty and covered with white, star-shaped hairs. The petals are creamy white and egg-shaped, 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long and about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide and with silvery or rust-coloured scales on the back. Flowering mainly occurs from September to November with sporadic flowering in April and June.[2][3]

This species was first formally described in 1970 by Paul Wilson who gave it the name Phebalium squamulosum subsp. verrucosum and published the description in the journal Nuytsia.[4][5] In 2014, Ian Telford and Jeremy Bruhl raised it to species status as Phebalium verrucosum in the journal Telopea.[3][6]

Phebalium verrucosum grows in shrubby woodland and dry rainforest on the edge of gorges and rocky stream sides near the Macleay, Guy Fawkes and Nymboida rivers.[2][3]