Eucalyptus bridgesiana

Eucalyptus bridgesiana is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, fibrous, mottled grey and white, sometimes tessellated bark on the trunk and larger branches, with rough, grey, fibrous bark on its trunk and larger branches. Thinner branches have smooth grey bark with whitish patches, shed in short ribbons. Young plants and coppice regrowth have sessile, egg-shaped, heart-shaped or almost round leaves arranged in opposite pairs, long, wide, with wavy edges and covered with a powdery white bloom. The adult leaves are lance-shaped, the same glossy green on both sides, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven on a peduncle up to long, the individual buds on a pedicel long. Mature buds are normally oval, long and wide with a conical to beaked operculum. Flowering occurs from February to March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical capsule, long and wide with the three valves extending above the rim. ==Taxonomy and naming==

Eucalyptus bridgesiana was first formally described in 1898 by Richard Thomas Baker and the description was published in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. The specific epithet (bridgesiana) honours Frederick Bridges (1840-1904) for his "promoting the opplication of economic science to our indigenous vegetable products". ==Distribution and habitat==

Apple box grows in open woodland and forest and is widespread from near Stanthorpe in Queensland and south through the slopes and ranges of New South Wales and eastern Victoria. The Sydney suburb of Tallawong, New South Wales is named after the Dharug word for apple box. ==Uses==

The wood of apple box is softer than that of other eucalypts, and is considered poor for firewood or building timber. However, the honey produced by bees feeding on the small white flowers of the tree is of high quality. ==References==