Eucalyptus polybractea

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Blue-leaved mallee
Eucalyptus polybractea habit.jpg
Eucalyptus polybractea near West Wyalong
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. polybractea
Binomial name
Eucalyptus polybractea
flower buds and flowers Eucalyptus polybractea buds.jpg
flower buds and flowers
leaves Eucalyptus polybractea leaf.JPG
leaves

Eucalyptus polybractea, commonly known as the blue-leaved mallee or simply blue mallee, [2] is a species of mallee that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth greyish or brownish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.

Contents

Description

Eucalyptus polybractea is a mallee that typically grows to a height of 8–10 m (26–33 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, fibrous or flaky, greyish to brownish bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth greyish to brownish bark above that is shed in ribbons. Young plants and coppice regrowth have bluish to glaucous, linear to lance-shaped leaves that are 40–150 mm (1.6–5.9 in) long and 3–16 mm (0.12–0.63 in) wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of bluish green on both sides, lance-shaped, 60–170 mm (2.4–6.7 in) long and 4–20 mm (0.16–0.79 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 seven, nine or eleven on an unbranched peduncle 4–12 mm (0.16–0.47 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long. Mature buds are club-shaped to diamond-shaped, 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering mainly occurs from March to August and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped or barrel-shaped capsule 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide with the valves near rim level. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus polybractea was first formally described in 1901 by Richard Thomas Baker in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from specimens collected near West Wyalong by Richard Hind Cambage. [6] [7] The specific epithet (polybractea) is from the ancient Greek poly- and the Latin bractea, referring to the many bracts of this species, although many eucalytps have "many bracts" at the base of immature flowers. [2]

In 2018, Kevin James Rule described two subspecies, polybractea and suberea but the names have not been accepted by the Australian Plant Census. [8]

Distribution

Blue-leaved mallee has a wide, but sporadic distribution around West Wyalong in New South Wales and between Stawell and Bendigo in Victoria. In grows in mallee shrubland on loamy soils. [2] [4]

Uses

Essential oil

Eucalyptus polybractea leaves are used to produce eucalyptus oil with very high levels of cineole (up to 91%), yielding 0.7-5% fresh weight overall. The oil is primarily used medicinally and for flavoring. [9]

Carbon sequestration

This eucalypt is the most commonly planted tree in Australia as part of carbon offset programs. Primarily, this is because the blue-leaved mallee is native to Australia, can grow effectively in drought conditions and can store a great deal of carbon quickly. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Eucalyptus oraria, commonly known as ooragmandee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to coastal and near-coastal areas of Western Australia. It has smooth greyish bark, sometimes with rough, flaky bark on the base of the trunk, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of nine or more, white flowers and barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus viridis, commonly known as the green mallee, is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It has rough fibrous or flaky bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and cup-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus porosa, commonly known as mallee box, Quorn mallee or water mallee, is a species of mallee or a tree that is endemic to southern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth greyish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and barrel-shaped or shortened spherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus apiculata, commonly known as the narrow-leaved mallee ash and is a mallee that is endemic to New South Wales. It has smooth white or greyish bark, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three to seven, white flowers and urn-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus behriana, commonly known as bull mallee and broad-leaved box, is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous bark on the lower part of the trunk and smooth bark above, broadly lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus gracilis, commonly known as yorrell, snap and rattle, red mallee, white mallee or kong mallee, is a species of mallee or small tree endemic to Australia, where it is found in south-western New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. It has smooth white bark, usually with rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the lower stems, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in group of between seven and eleven and cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus intertexta, commonly known as inland red box, western red box, gum coolibah or the bastard coolibah, is a species of tree that is endemic to central Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the base of the trunk, smooth white to brownish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven on the ends of branchlets, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus leptophylla, commonly known as the March mallee, slender-leaved red mallee or narrow-leaved red mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to inland Australia. It has smooth greyish bark, linear to narrow lance-shaped, oblong or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and thirteen, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or hemispherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus morrisii, commonly known as grey mallee, is a species of mallee or straggly tree that is endemic to western New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on some or all of the trunk, smooth greyish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of three, white flowers and conical or hemispherical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus socialis, commonly known as the red mallee, or grey mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to inland Australia.

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

Eucalyptus flavida, commonly known as yellow-flowered mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth greyish bark, sometimes with rough, flaking brownish bark at the base, lance-shaped adult leaves, long, elongated, tapering flower buds in groups of nine or eleven, yellow flowers and cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus gittinsii, commonly known as northern sandplain mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth greyish bark, sometimes with rough flaky bark near the base, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, whitish flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus johnsoniana, commonly known as Johnson's mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth, greyish brown bark, sometimes with flaky to fibrous brownish bark at the base, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and shortened spherical fruit with an unusually small opening.

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

Eucalyptus lucens, commonly known as the shiny-leaved mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to northwestern Australia. It has small, pale greyish to brown bark, glistening, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven on a branching peduncle, creamy white flowers and conical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus platycorys, commonly known as Boorabbin mallee, is a species of mallee, rarely a small tree, that is endemic to Western Australia. It has rough, dark grey, fibrous and flaky bark on the trunk, smooth greyish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in group of three, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped to cylindrical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus roycei, commonly known as Shark Bay mallee, is a species of mallee or a small tree that is endemic to a small area along the Gascoyne coast of Western Australia. It has rough fibrous or flaky bark on the lower trunk, smooth greyish bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, cream-coloured or pale yellow flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped, four-sided fruit.

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

Eucalyptus yalatensis, commonly known as the Yalata mallee, is a species of mallee or a shrub that is endemic to southern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the stems, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds mostly in groups of nine, creamy white or yellowish flowers and hemispherical to shortened spherical fruit.

Eucalyptus capitanea, commonly known as the desert ridge-fruited mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to South Australia. It often has rough, flaky bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, ribbed, oval flower buds in groups of seven, cream-coloured flowers and ribbed, urn-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus silvestris is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth greyish brown bark above, glossy green, lance-shaped leaves, flower buds usually in groups of seven, white flowers and conical to cup-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus socialis subsp. viridans, commonly known as the green-leaved red mallee, is a subspecies of mallee that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It usually has rough bark on the base of the trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, pale creamy yellow flowers and barrel-shaped to urn-shaped or spherical fruit.

References

  1. ↑ "Eucalyptus polybractea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Eucalyptus polybractea". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  3. ↑ Brooker, M. Ian H.; Slee, Andrew V. "Eucalyptus polybractea". Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 Hill, Ken. "Eucalyptus polybractea". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus polybractea". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Eucalyptus polybractea". APNI. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Baker, Richard Thomas (1901). "On some new species of Eucalyptus". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 25 (4): 692–695. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.12184 . Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Rule, Keven J. (2018). "Eucalyptus wimmerensis revisited and notes on the morphologies and taxonomies of five Victorian mallee-boxes" (PDF). Muelleria. 37: 55–58. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Boland, Douglas J. (ed.); Brophy, Joseph J.; Pennock, Alan (1991). Eucalyptus Leaf Oils: Use, Chemistry, Distillation and Marketing. Inkata Press. ISBN   0909605696.{{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  10. ↑ "How Much Carbon Does A Tree Offset & Which Tree is Best?". CO2 Australia. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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