| Eucalyptus risdonii
(Risdon Peppermint) is a rare, distinctive mallee-form eucalypt that only
grows on dry, north-east to westerly facing slopes on the eastern
shore of the Derwent near Hobart. Its distinctive features are the very glaucous, sessile, opposite
leaves which are fused around the stem. The only other species with leaves fused around the stem
are E. tenuiramis
(juvenile leaves only) and E. perinniana.
The
tips of the leaves of E. risdonii and are pointed, whereas E.
perinniana has blunt juvenile leaves. E. risdonii is very
closely related to E. tenuiramis (in fact, these two species
probably represent extreme forms of a continuum with E.
tenuiramis developing and flowering on adult foliage).
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