Eucalyptus mannifera Mudie

Chippendale (1988) recognised five subspecies of Eucalyptus mannifera, but Johnson & Hill (1990b) elevated two, subsp. elliptica and subsp. praecox, to full species status. A key to the remaining subspecies (modified from Chippendale 1988) is provided below.

The various currently recognised subspecies of E. mannifera are not well known in cultivation, although E. elliptica (see p. 339) is sometimes grown as E. mannifera subsp. elliptica. At Tresco in 2006 there was a 9 m specimen of subsp. gullickii recorded for TROBI, but this is the only example of the species to find its way into the register. At Logan there is a group of subsp. mannifera grown from Hind 5472, accessioned in 1989, that are approximately 12 m tall at the time of writing, the largest having a dbh of 25 cm. These have smooth, reddish brown bark which is unusual for this species, in which the bark is normally rather a striking white, or white with reddish patches. More horticultural exploration of Eucalyptus mannifera as a whole is needed, and the Gum Group has little experience of it. It should be noted, however, that in Australia it is notorious for shedding branches – hence the name Brittle Gum (Australian National Botanic Gardens 2003b).