Eucalyptus comitae-vallis

Eucalyptus comitae-vallis, commonly known as Comet Vale mallee or Cowcowing mallee, is a mallee that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has rough, flaky to ribbony bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth withish bark above, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to eleven, white flowers and barrel-shaped, conical or cup-shaped fruit.

Description
Eucalyptus comitae-vallis is a mallee, rarely a tree, that typically grows to a height of 2 to 7 m and forms a lignotuber. The bark is rough, ribbony and grey on the trunks and larger branches then smooth and pinkish grey yellow-green above. Leaves on young plants and coppice regrowth are dull, greyish, 55-80 mm long and 10-20 mm wide and always have a petiole. Adult leaves are linear to narrow lance-shaped, the same more or less glossy green on both sides, 60-100 mm long and 6-15 mm wide on a petiole 8-15 mm long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven, nine or eleven in leaf axils on a peduncle 6-12 mm long, the individual buds on a pedicel 2-6 mm long. Mature buds are cylindrical to narrow pear-shaped, 5-6 mm long and 3-4 mm wide with a rounded to flattened operculum with a short beak. Flowering occurs from February to April and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, barrel-shaped to conical or cup-shaped capsule 5-8 mm long and 5-7 mm wide on a pedicel 2-8 mm long and with the valves at rim level.

Taxonomy
Eucalyptus comitae-vallis was first formally described in 1923 by Joseph Maiden from a specimen collected from Comet Vale by John Thomas Jutson. The description was published in Maiden's book, A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus. The specific epithet (comitae-vallis) is the latinised version of the type location.

In 1934, William Blakely described Eucalyptus brachycorys but the name is considered by the Australian Plant Census to be a synonym.

Distribution
Comet Vale mallee is mainly found between Menzies and Kalgoorlie in the Mid West, Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy-clay-loamy soils in open shrubland.

Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.