Eucalyptus petrensis

Eucalyptus petrensis, commonly known as limestone mallee,[2] straggly mallee or koodjat,[3] is a species of straggly mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has mostly smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and thirteen, creamy white flowers and more or less spherical fruit.

Limestone mallee
Fruit of Eucalyptus petrensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. petrensis
Binomial name
Eucalyptus petrensis

Description

Eucalyptus petrensis is a straggly mallee that typically grows to a height of 1.5 to 4 metres (4.9 to 13.1 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth, light grey bark that is shed in strips, sometimes with rough bark at the base of the trunk. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull green, egg-shaped leaves that are 45–110 mm (1.8–4.3 in) long and 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped, 80–120 mm (3.1–4.7 in) long and 10–27 mm (0.39–1.06 in) wide, tapering to a petiole 4–15 mm (0.16–0.59 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of between seven and thirteen on an unbranched peduncle 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. Mature buds are 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide with a beaked operculum that is two or three times as long as the floral cup. Flowering occurs from June to July or October and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody, more or less spherical capsule 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long and 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide with the valves initially protruding but fragile.[2][4][5][6]

The mallee has a similar appearance to Eucalyptus foecunda but E. petrensis has a more persistent style on the fruit.[7]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus petrensis was first formally described by the botanists Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper in 1993 in the journal Nuytsia. The type material was collected by Brooker near Seabird in 1988.[5][8] The specific epithet (petrensis) is a Latin word meaning "found among rocks".[9]

Distribution and habitat

Limestone mallee grows on thin, sandy soil on coastal limestone ridges, in shrubland dominated by Acacia species. It is restricted to coastal areas between Yalgorup National Park and Dongara.[2][6]

Conservation status

This eucalypt is classified as "not threatened" in Western Australia by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Eucalyptus petrensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  2. "Eucalyptus petrensis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. "Plants and People in Mooro Country Nyungar Plant Use in Yellagonga Regional Park" (PDF). City of Joondalup. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  4. "Eucalyptus petrensis". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  5. Brooker, M. Ian H.; Hopper, Stephen (1993). "New series, subseries, species and subspecies of Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) from Western Australia and from South Australia". Nuytsia. 9 (1): 16–18. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  6. Nicolle, Dean; French, Malcolm E (2012). "A revision of Eucalyptus ser. Falcatae (Myrtaceae) from south-western Australia, including the description of new taxa and comments on the probable origin of E. balanites, E. balanoplex and E. phylacis" (PDF). Nuytsia. 22 (6): 423–424. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  7. Russell Barrett; Eng Pin Tay (2016). Perth Plants: A Field Guide to the Bushland and Coastal Flora of Kings Park and Bold Park. CSIRO publishing. ISBN 9781486306046.
  8. "Eucalyptus petrensis". APNI. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  9. Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 275. ISBN 9780958034180.
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