Eucalyptus melanophloia

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Silver-leaved ironbark
Eucalyptus-melanophloia-1.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. melanophloia
Binomial name
Eucalyptus melanophloia

Eucalyptus melanophloia, commonly known as silver-leaved ironbark, [2] is a species of tree that is endemic to northeastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough, hard ironbark on the trunk and branches. The crown is usually composed of juvenile leaves that are dull, glaucous, sessile and arranged in opposite pairs. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven, the flowers white and the fruit cup-shaped to hemispherical.

Contents

flower buds Eucalyptus melanophloia buds.jpg
flower buds
fruit Eucalyptus melanophloia fruit.jpg
fruit

Description

Eucalyptus melanophloia is a tree, rarely a mallee, that typically grows to a height of 20–25 m (66–82 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has hard, rough, dark grey to black bark on the trunk and branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have leaves that are usually glaucous, arranged in opposite pairs, sessile, round to egg-shaped or heart-shaped, 20–100 mm (0.79–3.94 in) long and 13–100 mm (0.51–3.94 in) wide. The crown leaves are usually mostly juvenile leaves that are arranged in opposite pairs, sessile, the same dull glaucous colour on both sides, egg-shaped to heart-shaped or lance-shaped, 35–90 mm (1.4–3.5 in) long and 20–50 mm (0.79–1.97 in) wide. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of the branchlets in groups of seven on a branching peduncle 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long. The individual buds are on pedicels 2–9 mm (0.079–0.354 in) long. Mature buds are oval to diamond-shaped, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide with a conical operculum. Flowering has been recorded in January and February, and from June to August. The flowers are white and the fruit is a woody, cup-shaped to hemispherical capsule 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and wide with the valves near or below rim level. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus melanophloia was first formally described in 1859 by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in the Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Botany . [5] [6] The specific epithet is derived from the ancient Greek words melas, genitivemelanos (μέλας, genitive μέλανος), meaning "black" and phloios (φλοιός) meaning "bark". [7]

Distribution and habitat

The silver-leaved ironbark grows in woodland on plains and tablelands in the eastern half of Queensland south from Mareeba, on the western side of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales north from Dubbo and in a few isolated locations in the Northern Territory. [2] [3]

Conservation status

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

Related Research Articles

<i>Eucalyptus crebra</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus crebra, commonly known as the narrow-leaved ironbark, narrow-leaved red ironbark or simply ironbark, and as muggago in the indigenous Dharawal language, is a species of small to medium-sized tree endemic to eastern Australia. It has hard, rough "ironbark" from its trunk to small branches, linear to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, nine or eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or hemispherical fruit. A variable species, it grows in woodland and forest from the Cape York Peninsula to near Sydney. It is an important source of nectar in the honey industry and its hard, strong timber is used in construction.

<i>Eucalyptus fibrosa</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus fibrosa, commonly known as the red ironbark, broad-leaved red ironbark or broad-leaved red ironbark, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree endemic to eastern Australia. It has grey to black ironbark, lance-shaped to egg-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and conical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus radiata</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus radiata, commonly known as the narrow-leaved peppermint or Forth River peppermint, is a species of tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous to flaky bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth grey bark on the thinner branches, lance-shaped to curved or almost linear leaves, flower buds in groups of eleven to twenty or more, white flowers and cup-shaped, hemispherical or shortenend spherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus goniocalyx</i> Species of plant

Eucalyptus goniocalyx, commonly known as long-leaved box, olive-barked box or bundy, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus cordata</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus cordata, commonly known as the heart-leaved silver gum is a shrub to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Tasmania. It has smooth bark throughout, mostly only juvenile, more or less heart-shaped, glaucous leaves, glaucous flower buds arranged in groups of three, white flowers and cylindrical or hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus pulverulenta</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus pulverulenta, commonly known as silver-leaved mountain gum, is a species of straggly tree or mallee that is endemic to southern New South Wales. It has smooth bark, egg-shaped, heart-shaped or round, sessile leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and cup-shaped to cylindrical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus globulus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> bicostata</i> Subspecies of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata, commonly known as the southern blue gum, eurabbie, blue gum or Victorian blue gum, is a subspecies of tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark with some persistent slabs of old bark at the base, juvenile leaves with one glaucous side, glossy, lance-shaped adult leaves, warty flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and hemispherical to conical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus globulus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> pseudoglobulus</i> Subspecies of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. pseudoglobulus, commonly known as Victorian eurabbie, is one of the four subspecies of Eucalyptus globulus and is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark with some persistent slabs of old bark at the base, juvenile leaves with one glaucous side, glossy, lance-shaped adult leaves, pedicellate flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and conical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus risdonii</i>

Eucalyptus risdonii, commonly known as the Risdon peppermint, is a species of small tree that is endemic to a small area in southern Tasmania. It has smooth bark, a crown composed mostly of sessile, glaucous, egg-shaped juvenile leaves arranged in opposite pairs. The flower buds are arranged in groups of between nine and fifteen and the fruit are cup-shaped, conical or hemispherical.

<i>Eucalyptus nortonii</i> Species of tree, native to NSW, Australia

Eucalyptus nortonii, commonly known as bundy, mealy bundy or long-leaved box, is a species of small tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, thick, fibrous or flaky bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth greyish bark on the thinnest branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped or cylindrical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus gamophylla</i> Species of plant

Eucalyptus gamophylla, commonly known as warilu, blue-leaved mallee, twin-leaf mallee, twin-leaved mallee or blue mallee, is a species of mallee that is native to Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. It usually has smooth bark, mostly only juvenile leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flower buds in groups of three, whitish flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit that is four-sided in cross-section.

Eucalyptus indurata, commonly known as ironbark or ironbark mallee, is a species of tree or mallee that is endemic to southern Western Australia. It has rough, hard, blackish, furrowed bark on the trunk, smooth whitish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white to pale yellow flowers and shortened spherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus pantoleuca</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus pantoleuca, commonly known as round-leaved gum or Panton River white gum, is a species of small tree that is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It has smooth, powdery bark, more or less round adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and conical fruit that are glaucous at first.

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

Corymbia aspera, commonly known as the rough-leaved ghost gum, rough leaf range gum, desert bloodwood, Brittle Range gum in Western Australia, or snappy gum in the Northern Territory is a species of tree that is endemic to northern Australia. It has smooth white bark, sometimes with a short stocking of rough bark near the base, a crown of sessile juvenile, heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or cylindrical fruit.

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

Corymbia confertiflora, commonly known as the broad-leaved carbeen or the rough leaf cabbage gum, is a species of tree that is endemic to northern Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark near the base of the trunk, smooth white to pale grey bark above, a crown of both intermediate and adult leaves, large numbers of flower buds borne on leafless sections of branchlets in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped or bell-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus atrata, commonly known as the Herberton ironbark or blue-leaved ironbark, is a small tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has hard, black "ironbark" on the trunk and all but the thinnest branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, buds usually arranged in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit. It is characterised by the blue-grey, powdery bloom on its leaves and flower buds.

Eucalyptus corynodes is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has hard, dark grey "ironbark", lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds usually on a branching inflorescence, the buds in groups of seven, white flowers and barrel-shaped to cup-shaped fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus platyphylla</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus platyphylla, commonly known as poplar gum or white gum, is a species of medium-sized tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has smooth. powdery bark, heart-shaped, egg-shaped to almost round leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and conical to hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus shirleyi</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus shirleyi, commonly known as Shirley's silver leafed ironbark, silver-leaved ironbark, or Shirley's silver leaved ironbark, is a species of small ironbark tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and larger branches, the thinnest branches glaucous, a crown composed of sessile, heart-shaped, egg-shaped or round juvenile leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus farinosa is a species of small tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has hard, dark grey ironbark, egg-shaped to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped and ribbed fruit.

References

  1. "Eucalyptus melanophloia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Eucalyptus melanophloia". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus melanophloia". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  4. Hill, Ken. "Eucalyptus melanophloia". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  5. "Eucalyptus melanophloia". APNI. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  6. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1859). "Monograph of the Eucalypti of tropical Australia". Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Botany. 3: 93–94. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  7. Backer, C.A. (1936). Verklarend woordenboek der wetenschappelijke namen van de in Nederland en Nederlandsch-Indië in het wild groeiende en in tuinen en parken gekweekte varens en hoogere planten (Edition Nicoline van der Sijs).
  8. "Nanango ironbark – Eucalyptus melanoleuca". The State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Science). Retrieved 28 September 2019.