''Eucalyptus eugenioides'', commonly known as the thin-leaved stringybark or white stringybark, is a species of tree

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to eastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, Flower buds in groups of between nine and fifteen, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus eugenioides'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a

lignotuber A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a response t ...

. Its trunk is wide at chest height and has rough, stringy, grey to reddish bark. Young plants and

coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeate ...

regrowth have egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves long and wide, glossy green on the upper surface and distinctly paler below. Adult leaves are more or less the same glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

s in groups of nine to fifteen, on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds on a pedicel long. Mature buds are green to yellow, oval to spindle-shaped, long and wide with a conical to beaked operculum. Flowering occurs from July to January. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical or shortened spherical capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level or slightly beyond.

Taxonomy

''Eucalyptus eugenioides'' was first formally described in 1827 by

Kurt Sprengel Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (3 August 1766 – 15 March 1833) was a German botanist and physician who published an influential multivolume history of medicine, ''Versuch einer pragmatischen Geschichte der Arzneikunde'' (1792–99 in four vol ...

from an unpublished description by

Franz Sieber Franz Wilhelm Sieber (30 March 1789 – 17 December 1844), was a botanist and collector who travelled to Europe, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Australia. Early life Franz Sieber was born in Prague, Bohemia on 30 March 1789. After 5&nb ...

and the description was published in Sprengel's book, ''Systema Vegetabilium''. The species name refers to its perceived similarity to trees of the genus ''

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

''. The term "stringybark" refers to the long, thin bark fibres that can be pulled off the tree trunk in strings.

Distribution and habitat

The thin-leaved stringybark is found across eastern New South Wales from Wyndham north to the vicinity of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

in southeastern Queensland with scattered populations further north as far as

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...

. It is a common tree of shale- and slate-derived, moderately fertile soils in lowlands and low hills. It grows in open forest with other trees such as grey box ('' E. moluccana''), forest red gum ('' E. tereticornis''), cabbage gum ('' E. amplifolia''), manna gum ('' E. viminalis''), woollybutt ('' E. longifolia''), narrow-leaved ironbark ('' E. crebra''), and argyle apple ('' E. cinerea''), spotted gum (''

Corymbia maculata ''Corymbia maculata'', commonly known as spotted gum, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth, mottled bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of three, whit ...

''), and with paperbark species such as prickly paperbark ('' Melaleuca styphelioides'') and white feather honeymyrtle ('' M. decora''). The thin-leaved stringybark is one of the key

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

species of the threatened Cumberland Plain Woodlands.

Ecology

The thin-leaved stringybark regenerates by regrowing from epicormic buds after bushfire and can live for more than a hundred years. The

longhorn beetle The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than ...

species '' Adrium artifex'' has been recorded from the thin-leaved stringybark.

Cultivation

''Eucalyptus eugenioides'' has been grown in California, where it grows best in coastal areas. In New South Wales, it is also known as "good kind stringybark" by beekeepers as the bees feeding on it are healthy and produce honey with a well-balanced amino-acid profile. It also provides the last crop of pollen before winter.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3059457 eugenioides Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Trees of Australia Plants described in 1827