Eucalyptus virginea and E. relicta (Myrtaceae), two new rare forest trees from sout-western Australia allied to E. lane-poolei, and a new phantom hybrid

Hopper, S.D. & Wardell-Johnson, G. Eucalyptus virginea and E. relicta (Myrtaceae), two new rareforest trees from south-western Australia allied to E. lane-poolei, and a new phantom hybrid. Nuytsia15(2): 227–240 (2004). Eucalyptus virginea and E. relicta are described from Mt Lindesay NationalPark and from the Whicher Range south-east of Busselton respectively. Both species, together withE. lane-poolei, are in the earliest branching clade of E. ser. Curviptera, which contains manyhorticulturally attractive large-flowered mallees from semi-arid and desert regions such as E. macrocarpaand E. youngiana. The discovery and description of these two rare relictual forest trees so recentlyhighlights the need for ongoing botanical survey of south-western Australia’s forests. A phantomhybrid, Eucalyptus lane-poolei × relicta, is also described for the first time. It occurs close topopulations of E. relicta in the Whicher Range but 150 km south of the nearest recorded E. lane-poolei.