''Eucalyptus atrata'', commonly known as the Herberton ironbark or blue-leaved ironbark,
is a small tree that is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. 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.
Description
''Eucalyptus atrata'' is a tree with hard black "ironbark" 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 respons ...
. Only the thinnest branches have smooth cream-coloured or brown bark. Its leaves and flower buds are covered with a bluish grey, powdery bloom. Young plants and
coppice
Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...
regrowth have broad lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves up to long and wide on a thick
petiole up to long. Adult leaves have a similar appearance on both sides, lance-shaped, long, wide on a petiole up to long. The flower buds are usually arranged in group of seven in leaf
axil
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...
s or on the ends of the branches. The groups are on an unbranched
peduncle long, the individual flowers on an angular
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
long. Mature buds are oval, long, wide with a hemispherical to cone-shaped
operculum slightly shorter than the
floral cup. Flowering mainly occurs from December to February and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped to hemispherical
capsule long, wide on a pedicel long.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus atrata'' was first formally described in 1991 by
Lawrie Johnston and
Ken Hill from a specimen collected by
Donald Blaxell near
Irvinebank.
The
specific epithet
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
(''atrata'') is a
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word meaning "dressed in black",
referring to the dark bark.
Distribution and habitat
Herberton ironbark grows in grassy woodland or forest in scattered locations on and near the
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau, which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It has very deep, rich basaltic soils and the main industry is agriculture. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the B ...
in Queensland, especially in the area bounded by
Herberton, Irvinebank and
Mareeba
Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the water ...
.
Conservation
This eucalypt is classed as "not threatened" under the Queensland Government
Nature Conservation Act 1992
The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota.
As originally published, it prov ...
.
See also
*
List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15401087
Trees of Australia
atrata
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Taxa named by Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson
Taxa named by Ken Hill (botanist)