Eucalyptus patens

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Yarri
Eucalyptus patens.jpg
Eucalyptus patens at Walpole - Manjimup
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. patens
Binomial name
Eucalyptus patens
flower buds Eucalyptus patens buds.jpg
flower buds
fruit Eucalyptus patens fruit.jpg
fruit
bark Eucalyptus patens bark.jpg
bark
The Dominator, the largest yarri tree The Dominator tree.jpg
The Dominator, the largest yarri tree

Eucalyptus patens, commonly known as yarri or blackbutt, [1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped leaves, creamy-white flowers and spherical to oval fruit.

Contents

Description

Eucalyptus patens is a tree that may grow to a height of 45 m (148 ft) with a dbh of 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) but is a smaller tree or mallee on less favourable sites. The thick, corky, friable bark has a rough texture and is deeply longitudinally furrowed. It is grey on the outside with a yellow tinge on the inside surface. The dull bluish green adult leaves are arranged alternately. The leaf blade is lance-shaped, sometimes curved, tapers to a fine point and is typically 10–16 mm (0.39–0.63 in) long and 12–30 mm (0.47–1.18 in) wide on a flat or channelled petiole 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of between seven and eleven on an unbranched peduncle 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long. Mature buds are club-shaped, with a hemispherical to conical operculum 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) with on a bell-shaped, similarly-sized floral cup. The flowers are creamy-white and appear between July and August or November and February. The fruit is a woody, more or less spherical to oval capsule 9–14 mm (0.35–0.55 in) long and 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) wide with the valves below rim level. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist George Bentham in 1867 in Flora Australiensis . The type specimens included material collected by Augustus Oldfield near the Harvey River sometime in 1840s. [5] [6] [7]

The epithet patens is Latin, meaning spreading or outspread, referring to the form of the tree "standing open", although this is not a characteristic that distinguishes the species. [2] [8] The common name, yarri, is Aboriginal in origin. [1]

The common name "blackbutt", distinguished as Swan River or Western Australian blackbutt, is shared by other dissimilar Eucalyptus species in the centre and east of Australia. The vernacular "blackbutt" is a reference to the colour of the trunk, sometimes blackened by fire. [2] Because of this ambiguity, the extant name yarri has become preferred for the tree, wood, and forest type. [1] [9]

Distribution

Eucalyptus patens grows well in gravelly soils with sandy clay or loam. It is often found in depressions, along stream banks or in valleys in the Peel, South West and Great Southern regions. [3] The range extends as far north as the Avon River. [10] The species still occurs in the Darling range, near the reservoirs Canning Dam, Mundaring Weir and Serpentine Dam, and at Mount Cooke, the range's highest peak. [2] [10]

Ecology

Yarri is regarded as one of the six forest giants found in Western Australia; the other trees include; Eucalyptus gomphocephala (Tuart), Eucalyptus diversicolor (Karri), Eucalyptus jacksonii (Red Tingle), Eucalyptus marginata (Jarrah) and Corymbia calophylla (Marri). [11] [12]

On the Darling Plateau, yarri is found in deeper valleys with jarrah or marri above the freshwater paperbark and flooded gum, moitch, and on slopes above swamp plant communities on minor tributaries. [13] [14] The species sometimes occurs in stands of several close growing individuals. [15] The juvenile leaves are broad and face upward, allowing the sapling to compete in the shadows of other trees and tall shrubs, assuming the usual elongate and down facing leaves of eucalypts when mature. [10]

The flowers attract many insects and birds, feeding on the nectar or preying on others. Insects are also likely to be diverse and numerous on the foliage, due to the rich soil fertility and associated trees in its habitat. Rosellas (Platycercus), honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) and ringneck parrots are often observed feeding around the tree. The roughly textured bark provides diverse habitat and refuge for insects, which are searched out by sitellas (Neosittidae) moving along the branches. The grey honeyeater ( Conopophila whitei ) also seeks insects along the furrows, instead of its usual method of aerial hunting. [10]

Uses

It is in short supply as a harvestable timber [16] as significant areas of its distribution are now covered by conservation reserves. [17] In addition, even in forest where timber harvesting is allowed, informal reserves placed around streams exclude the tree, which predominantly occurs in the wetter parts of the landscape. [3] The timber is amongst the world's most non-flammable. [2]

The heartwood is light to dark brown in colour. It is hard, durable and has a coarse to intermediate texture and interlocked to straight grain. The air dried density of the wood is 690 to 915 kilograms per cubic metre (43 to 57 lb/cu ft) and is it suitable for construction, railway sleepers and flooring. [1] The timber has similar properties to jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), though it is paler and has more limited availability. [10]

It is a viable tree to cultivate, and numbers of publications and websites have clear information on cultivation well away from its normal habitat. [18] The seed is contained in a capsule that can be collected at any time of the year and will germinate without special treatment. [19]

The tree produces a large amount of pollen and flowers before marri, a major source of nectar, so this can be used to increase the beehive's brood. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eucalyptus marginata</i> Species of plant endemic to Western Australia

Eucalyptus marginata, commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibrous bark, leaves with a distinct midvein, white flowers and relatively large, more or less spherical fruit. Its hard, dense timber is insect resistant although the tree is susceptible to dieback. The timber has been utilised for cabinet-making, flooring and railway sleepers.

<i>Eucalyptus diversicolor</i> Species of eucalyptus endemic to Western Australia

Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cream-coloured, often mottled bark, lance-shaped adult leaves and barrel-shaped fruit. Found in higher rainfall areas, karri is commercially important for its timber.

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

Eucalyptus punctata, commonly known as grey gum, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in patches, lance-shaped, curved or egg-shaped adult leaves flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit. Its leaves are one of the favoured foods of the koala.

<i>Corymbia calophylla</i> Tree found in Western Australia

Corymbia calophylla, commonly known as marri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a tree or mallee with rough bark on part or all of the trunk, lance-shaped adult leaves, branched clusters of cup-shaped or pear-shaped flower buds, each branch with three or seven buds, white to pink flowers, and relatively large oval to urn-shaped fruit, colloquially known as honky nuts. Marri wood has had many uses, both for Aboriginal people, and in the construction industry.

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

Eucalyptus jacksonii, commonly known as the red tingle, is a species of tall tree endemic to the southwest of Western Australia and is one of the tallest trees found in the state. It has thick, rough, stringy reddish bark from the base of the trunk to the thinnest branches, egg-shaped to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and shortened spherical to barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus gomphocephala, known as tuart, is a species of tree and is one of the six forest giants of Southwest Australia.

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

Eucalyptus macrandra, commonly known as long-flowered marlock, river yate or twet, is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth greyish bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of fifteen, pale yellow flowers and elongated cup-shaped to bell-shaped fruits.

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

Eucalyptus cornuta, commonly known as yate, is a tree species, sometimes a mallee and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous bark on all or most of its trunk, smooth bark above, mostly lance-shaped adult leaves, elongated flower buds in groups of eleven or more, yellowish flowers and cylindrical to cup-shaped fruit. It is widely cultivated and produces one of the hardest and strongest timbers in the world.

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

Eucalyptus rubida, commonly known as candlebark, ribbon gum or white gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark at the base, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and cup-shaped, hemispherical or bell-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus todtiana, commonly known as coastal blackbuttpricklybark or dwutta, is a species of tree or a mallee that is endemic to the west coast of Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous and flaky bark on the trunk, smooth bark on the branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus salmonophloia, commonly known as salmon gum, wurak or weerluk or woonert or marrlinja. is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between nine and thirteen, creamy white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus drummondii, commonly known as Drummond's gum or Drummond's mallee, is a species of mallee or tree that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, narrow elliptical to egg-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus wandoo, commonly known as wandoo, dooto, warrnt or wornt and sometimes as white gum, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of nine to seventeen, white flowers and conical to cylindrical fruit. It is one of a number of similar Eucalyptus species known as wandoo.

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

Eucalyptus pilularis, commonly known as blackbutt, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, finely fibrous greyish bark on the lower half of the trunk, smooth white, grey or cream-coloured bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and fifteen, white flowers and hemispherical or shortened spherical fruit.

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

Corymbia haematoxylon, commonly known as mountain marri, is a species of tree that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to narrow egg-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and urn-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus cambageana, commonly known as the Dawson River blackbutt, Dawson gum or Coowarra box, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It is a medium-sized tree with hard, rough bark on the lower trunk, smooth white to cream-coloured bark above, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to funnel-shaped fruit.

<i>Persoonia elliptica</i> Species of flowering plant

Persoonia elliptica, commonly known as snottygobble or spreading snottygobble, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub or small tree with egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves and groups of cylindrical yellow flowers. It usually grows in woodland or forest dominated by jarrah or marri within 50 km (30 mi) of the coast.

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

Eucalyptus lesouefii, commonly known as goldfields blackbutt, is a species of mallet or tree that is endemic to central Western Australia. It has rough, black bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus virginea is a species of tree that is endemic to the south coast of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus dundasii, commonly known as the Dundas blackbutt, is a species of tree that is endemic to Western Australia. It has rough, scaly bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth bark above, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and cylindrical to narrow urn-shaped flowers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Boland, Douglas J.; Brooker, Ian; McDonald, Maurice W. (2006). Forest trees of Australia (5th ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Pub. p. 516. ISBN   0643069690.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 French, Malcolm (1997). The special Eucalypts of Perth and the south-west. ISBN   0-646-29394-X.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eucalyptus patens". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ↑ "Eucalyptus patens". Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Eucalyptus patens". APNI. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1867). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 3. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 247. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  7. ↑ Powell 1990, p. 127.
  8. ↑ "Factsheet - Eucalyptus patens". Euclid. CSIRO . Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Powell, Hopper, Seddon, et al. [op cit.]
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Powell 1990, p. 126.
  11. ↑ "Eucalyptus gomphocephala". Australian Seed. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "Eucalyptus gomphocephala". Plants For A Future. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Powell 1990, p. 10.
  14. ↑ Powell 1990, p. 94.
  15. ↑ Powell 1990, p. 217.
  16. ↑ "Trees". Department of Agriculture and Food. Archived from the original on 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  17. ↑ "Forest Management Plan 2014-2023" (PDF). Department of Conservation. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  18. ↑ "Eucalyptus patens". Australia Plants. Archived from the original on 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  19. ↑ Powell 1990, p. 221.
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