Eucalyptus longirostrata

Eucalyptus longirostrata, commonly known as grey gum,[2] is a species of tree that is endemic to south-east Queensland. It has smooth greyish bark, glossy green adult leaves that are paler on the lower surface, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical to cup-shaped fruit.

Grey gum
Eucalyptus longirostrata on the Blackdown Tableland
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. longirostrata
Binomial name
Eucalyptus longirostrata
Synonyms[1]

Eucalyptus punctata var. longirostrata Blakely

Description

Eucalyptus longirostrata is a tree that typically grows to a height of 30 m (98 ft) but does not form a lignotuber. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in strips. Young plants have broadly lance-shaped leaves that are paler on the lower surface, 40–100 mm (1.6–3.9 in) long and 12–27 mm (0.47–1.06 in) wide. Adult leaves are glossy green on the upper surface, paler below, lance-shaped, 80–180 mm (3.1–7.1 in) long and 13–35 mm (0.51–1.38 in) wide tapering to a channelled petiole 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven in leaf axils on a flattened, unbranched peduncle 8–18 mm (0.31–0.71 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide with a long, beaked operculum. Flowering has been recorded in February and March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical to cup-shaped capsule 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) wide with the valves protruding above the rim of the fruit.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

This grey gum was first formally described in 1934 by William Blakely who gave it the name Eucalyptus punctata var. longirostrata and published the description in his book A Key to the Eucalypts.[4] In 1988, Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill raised the variety to species status as E. longirostrata, publishing the change in Flora of Australia.[5] The specific epithet (longirostrata) is from the Latin words longus meaning "long"[6]:205[7]:1076 and rostratus meaning "beaked",[3][6]:245[7] referring to the long, beaked operculum.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Eucalyptus longirostrata grows in open forest on hills and ridges in Queensland, between the Blackdown Tableland and the Toowoomba district.[2]

Conservation status

This eucalypt is classified as "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Eucalyptus longirostrata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  2. Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus longirostrata". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. "Eucalyptus longirostrata". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  4. "Eucalyptus punctata var. longirostrata". APNI. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  5. "Eucalyptus longirostrata". APNI. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  6. Short, Emma; George, Alex (2013). A Primer of Botanical Latin with Vocabulary. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107693753.
  7. Lewis, Charlton Thomas; Short, Charles (1879). A Latin Dictionary Founded on Andrews' Edition of Freund's Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 1600. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  8. "Eucalyptus longirostrata". WetlandInfo. Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.