''Eucalyptus calcareana'', commonly known as the Nundroo mallee or Nundroo gum, is a mallee or 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 the south coast of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It has smooth, greyish or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, creamy-white flowers and cup-shaped to conical fruit. Eucalyptus calcareana flowers

Description

''Eucalyptus calcareana'' is a mallee or a small tree that typically grows to a height of about 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 ...

. It has smooth grey, cream-coloured, white and orange bark that is shed in short ribbons. 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 leaves arranged alternately and dull bluish green, egg-shaped to broadly lance-shaped long and wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved, the same glossy green on both sides, long and wide on a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

long. The flower buds are borne in groups of seven or nine 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 on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds on a

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 to cylindrical, long and wide with a conical operculum long. Flowering mainly occurs in March and April and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped or conical capsule long and wide on a pedicel long, the valves just above of slightly below the rim.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus calcareana'' was first formally described in 1979 by Clifford Boomsma from specimens collected near

Nundroo Nundroo is a small South Australian town, located approximately west of Adelaide. It is a popular rest stop for travellers due to its location on the Eyre Highway. The area was settled by sheep graziers in the 1860s. By the 1870s the Nundroo ...

. 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 ...

(''calcareana'') is derived from the

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 ''calcareus'' meaning "of lime" or "limy" referring to the soil type where this species grows.

Distribution and habitat

Nundroo mallee is found along the south coast of the Goldfields-Esperance region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and the south coast of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It is found from the east of Esperance to coastal areas of the western

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

Use in horticulture

This eucalypt is grown in exposed locations and is suitable as a windbreak or shade tree.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15395887 calcareana Flora of South Australia Mallees (habit) Myrtales of Australia Eucalypts of Western Australia Trees of Australia Goldfields–Esperance Plants described in 1979

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Distribution and habitat

Use in horticulture

See also

References