Eucalyptus impensa

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Eneabba mallee
Eneabba mallee (Eucalyptus x impensa) in Kings Park, Perth, October 2023 01.jpg
Eucalyptus impensa in Kings Park, Western Australia
Status DECF R.svg
Declared rare  (DEC)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. impensa
Binomial name
Eucalyptus impensa

Eucalyptus impensa, commonly known as the Eneabba mallee, [2] is a species of straggly mallee that is endemic to a small area of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, dull, light green, egg-shaped to broadly lance-shaped leaves, flower buds arranged singly in leaf axils, pink flowers and relatively large, flattened hemispherical fruit.

Contents

Description

Eucalyptus impensa is a straggly mallee that typically grows to a height of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth grey and brownish bark. Young plants and coppice regrowth have leaves arranged more or less in opposite pairs, broadly egg-shaped, 60–110 mm (2.4–4.3 in) long and 45–65 mm (1.8–2.6 in) wide. Adult leaves are also arranged more or less in opposite pairs, broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped, 105–140 mm (4.1–5.5 in) long and 40–80 mm (1.6–3.1 in) wide on a thick petiole up to 10 mm (0.39 in) long. The flower buds are arranged singly in leaf axils on a thick peduncle 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long. The mature bud is oval to more or less spherical, 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) long and 25–35 mm (0.98–1.38 in) wide with a beaked operculum about 25 mm (0.98 in) long. Flowering has been recorded in May, June and July and the flowers are pink. The fruit is a woody, flattened hemispherical capsule, 20–30 mm (0.79–1.18 in) long and 48–55 mm (1.9–2.2 in) wide with the valves protruding above the rim. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus impensa was first formally described in 1993 by Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper from a specimen collected from near Warradarge in 1987. The description was published in the journal Nuytsia . [4] [5] The specific epithet is from the Latin impensus, meaning 'ample', 'great', 'large' or 'strong', referring to the leaves and fruit of this species. [4] [6]

Distribution and habitat

The Eneabba mallee is restricted to six populations that occur over a range of about 3 km (1.9 mi) near Eneabba. It grows in open shrub mallee over low heath on undulating plains and breakaways. [2]

Conservation status

This mallee is listed as "Endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia). An "interim recovery plan" has been prepared. [2] [7] [8]

In 2009, eight populations of this mallee were known and counts suggested that the total number of mature plants was about 114. The main threats to the species are insect damage, inappropriate fire regimes, firebreak maintenance and disease. The species as a whole is threatened by its narrow range and lack of recruitment. [2] [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Corymbia ferriticola</i> Species of plant

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<i>Eucalyptus crucis</i> Species of grass

Eucalyptus crucis is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. There are three subspecies, commonly known as silver mallee or Southern Cross mallee,, narrow-leaved silver mallee, and Paynes Find mallee,. It has rough bark that is shed in curling flakes, more or less round, glaucous juvenile leaves, egg-shaped intermediate leaves and lance-shaped adult leaves. The type of bark and the proportion of juvenile, intermediate and adult leaves in the crown of mature plants varies with subspecies. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven in leaf axils, the flowers are whitish to pale yellow and the fruit is a conical to hemispherical capsule.

Eucalyptus cuprea, commonly known as the mallee box, is a species of mallee that is endemic to the west coast of Western Australia. It has rough, flaky bark on the base of its trunk, smooth coppery-coloured bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and conical to cup-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus × missilis, commonly known as bullet bush, is a species of mallee that is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, egg-shaped to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and fifteen, pale yellow flowers and cup-shaped to cylindrical fruit. It is thought to be a hybrid between E. cornuta and E. angulosa that occur in the same area.

References

  1. "Eucalyptus impensa". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Conservation Advice: Eucalyptus impensa Eneabba mallee" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. "Eucalyptus impensa". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 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): 35–37. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  5. "Eucalyptus impensa". APNI. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 435.
  7. 1 2 Stack, Gillian; Broun, Gina. "Interim Recovery Plan No. 179: Eneabba mallee (Eucalyptus impensa) Interim Recovery Plan 2004-2009" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  8. "Eucalyptus impensa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.