Eucalyptus utilis

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Coastal moort
Eucalyptus utilisIMG 20181013 134638.jpg
Eucalyptus utilis (lower, green trees)
Eucalyptus utilis IMG 20181013 134439.jpg
Eucalyptus utilis (buds and fruit)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. utilis
Binomial name
Eucalyptus utilis
EucalyptusutilisDistributionMap.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]

Eucalyptus platypus var. heterophyllaauct. non Blakely: Chippend.

Contents

Eucalyptus utilis, commonly known as coastal moort [2] or coastal mort, [3] is a species of mallet or mallee that is native to southern areas of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, egg-shaped to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in group or seven, creamy white flowers and conical fruit.

Description

Eucalyptus utilis is a mallet or mallee that typically grows to a height of 1.5–15 m (4 ft 11 in–49 ft 3 in) and has a spreading habit. There is doubt about whether or not the species forms a lignotuber. (A mallee has a lignotuber but a mallet does not.) It has a short trunk with smooth grey bark that peels off in ribbons revealing smooth pale brown bark underneath. The crown is relatively close to the ground, dense and spreading. Young plants have green to greyish, egg-shaped leaves that are 20–80 mm (0.79–3.15 in) long and 15–35 mm (0.59–1.38 in) wide. Adult leaves are thick, the same shade of glossy olive green on both sides, egg-shaped to lance-shaped, 45–80 mm (1.8–3.1 in) long and 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) wide, tapering to a petiole 8–20 mm (0.31–0.79 in) long. [2] [4] [5]

The flower buds are arranged in leaf axil in groups of seven on a flattened, unbranched peduncle 13–33 mm (0.51–1.30 in) long, the individual buds sessile or on pedicels up to 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Mature buds have an elongated ovoid shape and are 12–28 mm (0.47–1.10 in) in length and 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) wide with a horn-shaped operculum that is up to 2.5 times as long as the floral cup. Flowering occurs from September to January and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody, conical to almost barrel-shaped capsule 8–13 mm (0.31–0.51 in) long and 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide on down-turned to spreading peduncles. There is a descending disc and three to four valves at rim level. The seeds are oval, black to brown and 7–20 mm (0.28–0.79 in) long. [4] [5]

Eucalyptus utilis can be distinguished from E. platypus by its narrower, more lanceolate leaves, its erect bud clusters and coastal sand-dune habitat, rather than growing on heavy soil flats. E. utilis seems to be either mallee or mallet in habit whilst E. platypus is always a mallet. Eucalyptus nutans has a similar habit, similar adult leaves and similar erect staminal arrangement to E. utilis but differs in that its buds have a much shorter operculum, its flowers are red/pink and its fruit has five or six valves. Eucalyptus cernua and E. vesiculosa differ from E. utilis in having inflexed, not erect, stamens in bud, down-turned bud clusters and short rounded opercula, not long and horn-shaped. [4]

Taxonomy

Eucalyptus utilis was first formally described by the botanists Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper in 2002 in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected by Charles Austin Gardner near Hopetoun in 1964. [5] [6]

Brooker and Hopper considered the type specimens of Eucalyptus platypus var. heterophylla to be a hybrid between E. platypus subsp. platypus and E. spathulata . They also noted that populations attributed to E. platypus var. heterophylla did not occur anywhere near the type specimens. Brooker and Hopper consider those populations to be of the newly described E. utilis, and that interpretation is accepted by the Australian Plant Census. [1] [5]

The specific epithet is from the Latin word utilis meaning useful which refers to the many uses of the tree in street and farm plantings. [4]

Distribution

Coastal moort is found along the west and south coast of Western Australia, as far north as around Perth with the bulk of the population between Fitzgerald River National Park then east to around Esperance with scattered populations found further east. Populations are also found on islands in the Recherche Archipelago including Middle and Mondrain Island. It grows in a variety of habitats, including on sand dunes, on and around granite hills, and near swamps and estuaries, growing in sandy or clay soils. It is native in parts of its range and naturalised elsewhere. [2] [4]

Conservation status

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

Use in horticulture

This eucalypt is commercially available for cultivation and is commonly used for ornamental, windbreaks and shelter-belts. It is drought tolerant and moderately frost tolerant, can grow in poor sandy soils that are alkaline and is semi-salt tolerant. It produces a good amount of pollen and nectar and makes good habitat for birds and insects. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Eucalyptus zopherophloia, commonly known as the blackbutt mallee, is a species of spreading mallee that is endemic to an area on the west coast of Western Australia. It has rough bark over part or all of the trunk, smooth grey bark above, narrow lance-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of nine or eleven, creamy white flowers and conical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus abdita is a species of mallee with smooth grey bark and cone-shaped to barrel-shaped fuit, that is native to disjunct areas to the north and north-east of Perth, Western Australia.

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

Eucalyptus platypus, also known as moort or maalok, is a species of mallee or marlock that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, broadly elliptical to more or less round adult leaves, flower buds in groups of nine on a broad, flattened peduncle, usually creamy white flowers and conical, down-turned fruit.

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

Eucalyptus capillosa, commonly known as wheatbelt wandoo, or mallee wandoo, is a species of tree or mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth, grey bark, lance-shaped to elliptic adult leaves, spindle-shaped flower buds in groups of nine to thirteen, white flowers and barrel-shaped to cylindrical fruit.

Eucalyptus exigua is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth, whitish bark, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and short barrel-shaped to conical fruit.

<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.

Eucalyptus incerata, commonly known as Mount Day mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to southern Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds with a long, horn-shaped operculum and arranged in groups of seven, yellow flowers and barrel-shaped to cup-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus leprophloia, commonly known as scaly butt mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to a small area in Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous bark on the base of the trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus litorea, commonly known as saline mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to a small area on the southern coast of Western Australia. It has hard, rough grey bark on the trunk, smooth grey bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

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

Eucalyptus nutans, commonly known as red-flowered moort, is a species of mallet that is endemic to a small area near the south coast of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, oblong to almost round adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, red or pinkish flowers and cup-shaped to conical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus petrensis, commonly known as limestone mallee, straggly mallee or koodjat, 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.

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

Eucalyptus phaenophylla, also known as common southern mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, linear to narrow lance-shaped or narrow elliptical adult leaves, flower buds in groups of up to thirteen, pale lemon-coloured flowers and barrel-shaped, cylindrical or conical fruit.

Eucalyptus pluricaulis, commonly known as the purple-leaved mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, dull bluish green, lance-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of between nine and fifteen, pale yellow flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus polita is a species of mallet or small tree that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has smooth, greyish bark, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus surgens is a species of mallee that is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It has rough bark near the base of the stems, glossy green lance-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy yellow flowers and cup-shaped to cylindrical fruit.

Eucalyptus thamnoides is a species of mallee that is endemic to south western Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers and cup-shaped, conical or bell-shaped fruit.

Eucalyptus varia is a species of mallee that is endemic to an area near the south coast of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of nine or eleven, yellow flowers and barrel-shaped to cylindrical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus clivicola, commonly known as green mallet, is a species of eucalypt that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, linear to lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between nine and thirteen, pale yellow flowers and barrel-shaped, conical or cylindrical fruit.

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

Eucalyptus diminuta, commonly known as the spring mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth, silvery to greyish bark, sometimes with rough flaky bark near the base, lance-shaped adult leaves, pendulous, elongated flower buds arranged in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped to bell-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. 1 2 3 "Eucalyptus utilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Eucalyptus utilis". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. ↑ "Eucalyptus utilis Coastal Mort". Ellenby Tree Farm. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Eucalyptus utilis". Euclid. CSIRO . Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Brooker, M. Ian H.; Hopper, Stephen D. (2002). "Taxonomy of species deriving from the publication of Eucalyptus subseries Cornutae Benth. (Myrtaceae)". Nuytsia. 14 (3): 349–350. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Eucalyptus utilis". APNI. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "Eucalyptus utilis (Coastal Moort)". Westgrow Tree Farms. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
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