Sandplain Mallee is a mallee

Mallee (habit)

Mallee is the growth habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems springing from an underground lignotuber, usually to a height of no more than ten metres...

 eucalypt

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

 native to Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. Mature trees are usually 2.5–6 m high, occasionally up to 9 m. It may flower from September to November.

Distribution

Sandplain Mallee has been found in various places, including areas near the Wongan Hills

Wongan Hills

Wongan Hills is a range of low flat-topped hills in the Avon Wheatbelt biogeographic region of Western Australia. It is located at , in northern parts of the Avon Wheatbelt biogeographic region....

, Norseman

Norseman, Western Australia

Norseman is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, east of Perth and above sea level. It is also the starting point of the Eyre Highway, and the last major town in Western Australia before the South Australian border to the...

, and between Kalgoorlie and Menzies

Menzies, Western Australia

Menzies is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, east-northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north-northwest of the city of Kalgoorlie...

. These are areas of predominantly winter rainfall with an annual average of 250-400 mm. It grows mainly in red sand, and sometimes on lateritic

Laterite

Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...

 hills.

Description

The bark

Bark

Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...

is smooth, light-brown to grey. Distinctive features include pear-shaped buds in threes; shining, red-brown fruit; leaves mostly alternate.