Coastal Silver Mallee

Coastal silver mallee (Eucalyptus ecostata) is a multi-stemmed mallee eucalyptus in the family Myrtaceae, endemic to the southwest of Western Australia, where it grows in coastal heath, scrub, and mallee shrublands on sandy or lateritic soils near the Indian Ocean coast. Like other mallees, it regenerates vigorously from a lignotuber after fire, a critical adaptation in fire-prone Mediterranean-climate vegetation. Leaves are silvery-grey on young growth, giving rise to the common name, while older foliage is greener. The species produces creamy white to yellow flowers that attract native bees and honeyeaters. Eucalyptus ecostata is assessed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, reflecting a restricted range in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region—one of the world's biodiversity hotspots—and vulnerability to habitat clearing for agriculture, altered fire regimes, and invasion by introduced weeds such as Phytophthora cinnamomi, a root pathogen that has devastated many Australian plant species. Conservation efforts in the region focus on protecting remnant coastal heath and mallee vegetation within the Southwest's network of national parks and nature reserves.