Variation in the Eucalyptus flocktoniae complex (Myrtaceae) and the description of four new taxa from southern Australia

Eucalyptus flocktoniae is considered to be a complex distinguished within E ucalyptus series Subulatae by decurrent juvenile leaves and glossy adult le aves. The geographical range of E. flocktoniae (Maiden) Maiden was examined to quantify the patterns of variation in both adult and seedling morpholog y. The putatively related species E. aspersa Brooker & Hopper, E. cooperian a F. Muell., E. socialis F. Muell. ex Mig., E transcontinentalis Maiden sen s. lar. and E. yumbarrana Boomsma were also studied to assess similarity an d relationships to E. flocktoniae sens. lat. Phenetic analysis of adult and juvenile data sets (46 and 21 characters, respectively) indicated that the E. flocktoniae complex consisted of five distinct taxa, distinguishable fr om one another in habit, branchlet pruinosity, leaf colour and gloss, inflo rescence pruinosity, umbellaster orientation, bud size and ornamentation, a nd fruit shape and ornamentation. These taxa are E. flocktoniae subsp. floc ktoniae, here redefined, as restricted to between Three Springs and the Old field River in Western Australia (WA); subsp. hebes Nicolle subsp. nov, fro m Baliadonia to north-east of Ravensthorpe, WA; E. neutra Nicolle sp, nov., from the south-central wheatbelt of WA; E. peninsularis Nicolle sp. nov. f rom lower Eyre Peninsula in SA; and E. uma Nicolle sp. nov., a common and w idespread species between Kondinin and Caiguna in WA. A key and distributio n maps are provided for taxa of the E. flocktoniae complex.