Eucalyptus intertexta

Eucalyptus intertexta, commonly known as inland red box,[2] western red box, gum coolibah or the bastard coolibah,[3] is a species of tree that is endemic to central Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the base of the trunk, smooth white to brownish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven on the ends of branchlets, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit.

flower buds and flowers
fruit

Inland red box
Eucalyptus intertexta near Mount Hope
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. intertexta
Binomial name
Eucalyptus intertexta

Description

Eucalyptus intertexta is a tree, rarely a mallee that typically grows to a height 4–30 m (13–98 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has rough fibrous or flaky bark on the base of the trunk, sometimes on its full length, smooth white to grey or brownish bark above. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull greyish or glaucous leaves that are lance-shaped, 30–120 mm (1.2–4.7 in) long and 10–35 mm (0.39–1.38 in) wide. Adult leaves are the same bluish green or greyish green on both sides, lance-shaped, 50–160 mm (2.0–6.3 in) long and 8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in) wide on a petiole 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets on a branching peduncle 5–17 mm (0.20–0.67 in) long, each branch of the peduncle having buds in groups of seven, the buds on pedicels 2–8 mm (0.079–0.315 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide with a conical operculum. Flowering occurs in most months and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped to hemispherical capsule 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide with the valves enclosed in the fruit.[4][5][6][7]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus intertexta was first formally described in 1900 by Richard Thomas Baker in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.[8][9] The specific epithet (intertexta) is from Latin words meaning 'between' and 'tissue', referring to the inter-woven bark fibres.[4][7]

Distribution and habitat

The inland red box grows in woodland and open woodland in the central deserts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and South Australia, extending into western parts of New South Wales, southern Queensland and eastern South Australia.

References
  1. "Eucalyptus intertexta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  2. Philip A. Clarke (2012). Australian plants as Aboriginal Tools. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781922013576.
  3. Dean Nicolle. "Native Eucalypts of South Australia". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  4. "Eucalyptus intertexta". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  5. K.Hill. "New South Wales Flora Online: Eucalyptus intertexta". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
  6. Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus intertexta". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  7. "Eucalyptus intertexta (Myrtaceae) - Smooth-barked coolibah". South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, Botanic Gardens of South Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  8. "Eucalyptus intertexta". APNI. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  9. Baker, Richard Thomas (1900). "On some new species of eucalypts". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 25: 308–311. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.12156. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
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