Eucalyptus fracta

Eucalyptus fracta is a species of tree or mallee that is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It has hard, grey to black "ironbark" on the trunk and larger branches, smooth whitish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, and cup-shaped fruit.

Description
Eucalyptus fracta is a tree or mallee that typically grows to a height of 8 m and has hard, grey to black ironbark on the trunk and branches more than 70 mm in diameter, smooth whitish bark above. Young plants have dull, bluish green, egg-shaped to more or less round leaves that are 30-60 mm long and 24-35 mm wide on a petiole 5-8 mm long. Adult leaves are the same slightly glossy greyish green on both sides, lance shaped, 70-110 mm long and 10-25 mm wide on a petiole 8-18 mm long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven on a branched peduncle 6-10 mm long, the individual buds on a pedicel 1-5 mm long. Mature buds are spindle-shaped, 6-8 mm long and 2-3 mm wide with a conical operculum. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped capsule 5-8 mm long and 5-7 mm wide.

Taxonomy and naming
Eucalyptus fracta was first described in 1997 by Ken Hill from a specimen he collected in Charmhaven with Leonie Stanberg in 1995. The description was published in the journal Telopea. The specific epithet (fracta) is a Latin word meaning "broken", a reference to the species' distribution.

Distribution and habitat
This eucalypt is only known from parts of the Broken Back Range near Cessnock where it grows in shallow soils on a sandstone escarpment.