Eucalyptus dalrympleana

Eucalyptus dalrympleana, commonly known as mountain gum, mountain white gum, white gum and broad-leaved ribbon gum,[2] is a species of tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white flowers and cup-shaped, bell-shaped or hemispherical fruit.

flower buds
immature fruit

Mountain gum
Eucalyptus dalrympleana in a botanical garden in Brest, France
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. dalrympleana
Binomial name
Eucalyptus dalrympleana

Description

Eucalyptus dalrympleana is a tree that typically grows to a height of 40 m (130 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth white to yellowish bark, sometimes with a short stocking of rough bark. Young plants and coppice regrowth have leaves arranged in opposite pairs and are egg-shaped or heart-shaped to more or less round, 25–70 mm (0.98–2.76 in) long and wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, lance-shaped to curved, the same colour on both sides, 80–220 mm (3.1–8.7 in) long and 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) wide on a petiole 12–35 mm (0.47–1.38 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of three or seven in leaf axils on a peduncle 3–12 mm (0.12–0.47 in) long, the individual buds sessile or on a pedicel up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long. Mature buds are oval, green to yellow, 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering mainly occurs between March and June and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped, bell-shaped or hemispherical capsule 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) wide.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus dalrympleana was first formally described in 1920 by Joseph Maiden from a specimen collected by Wilfred de Beuzeville near Yarrangobilly. The description was published in Maiden's book, The Forest Flora of New South Wales.[6][7] The specific epithet (dalrympleana) honours the forester, Richard Dalrymple Hay.[2]

In 1962, Lawrie Johnson described two subspecies and the names have been accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

  • Eucalyptus dalrympleana Maiden subsp. dalrympleana[8] has flower buds arranged in groups of three;[4]
  • Eucalyptus dalrympleana subsp. heptantha L.A.S.Johnson[9] has flower buds and flowers in groups of seven.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Mountain gum grows in woodland and forest at higher elevations in far south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Subspecies heptantha is only found in far south-eastern Queensland and on the northern tablelands of New South Wales. Subspecies dalrympleana occurs south from the central and southern tablelands of New South Wales.[3][4] The species is rare in South Australia where it only occurs in the Mount Lofty Ranges.[10]

Use in horticulture

In cultivation in the UK, E. dalrympleana is fully hardy down to −15 °C (5 °F) but prefers some shelter. It grows best in full sun. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[11][12]

References
  1. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  2. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. Brooker, M. Ian; Slee, Andrew V. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  4. Hill, Ken. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  5. Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  6. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana". APNI. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  7. "Beuzeville, Wilfred Alexander Watt de (1884 - 1954)". Australian National Herbarium. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  8. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana subsp. dalrympleana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  9. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana subsp. heptantha". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  10. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana ssp. dalrympleana (Myrtaceae) Mountain White Gum". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  11. "Eucalyptus dalrympleana AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  12. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 36. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  • Holliday, I. A field guide to Australian trees (3rd edition), Reed New Holland, 2002
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