Patterns of Variation in Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunn. Ex. Woolls. I. Variation in Adult Morphology

Abstract

Eucalyptus sideroxylon, a woodland tree occumng in an arc from central and southern Victoria to south-eastem Queensland, is currently divided into subsp. slderoxylon to the north, and subsp. tricarpa to the south. Thirty populations were sampled throughout the range of the species and studied for adult leaf and fruit characters. There were found to be very marked and highly significant morphological differences between the two subspecies, more especially in the fruit characters. Within subsp. sideroxylon there was a general distinction between the inland populations and the more coastal populations, while within subsp. trlcarpa there was similarly a general differentiation of the coastal populations from the northern and north-central Victorian populations. The extent and general pattern of these various differences are documented as a prelude to further studies.