''Eucalyptus longirostrata'', commonly known as grey gum,
is a species of tree that is
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 els ...
to south-east Queensland. It has smooth greyish bark, glossy green adult leaves that are paler on the lower surface, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical to cup-shaped fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus longirostrata'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of but does not form 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 ...
. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in strips. Young plants have broadly lance-shaped leaves that are paler on the lower surface, long and wide. Adult leaves are glossy green on the upper surface, paler below, lance-shaped, long and wide tapering to a channelled
petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven in leaf axils on a flattened, unbranched
peduncle Peduncle may refer to:
*Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed
*Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body
**Peduncle (art ...
long, the individual buds on
pedicels
In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''.
Description
Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...
long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a long, beaked
operculum. Flowering has been recorded in February and March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical to cup-shaped
capsule long and wide with the valves protruding above the rim of the fruit.
Taxonomy and naming
This grey gum was first formally described in 1934 by
William Blakely
William Faris Blakely (November 1875 – 1 September 1941) was an Australian botanist and collector. From 1913 to 1940 he worked in the National Herbarium of New South Wales, working with Joseph Maiden on ''Eucalyptus'', Maiden named a ''red ...
who gave it the name ''Eucalyptus punctata'' var. ''longirostrata'' and published the description in his book ''A Key to the Eucalypts''.
In 1988,
Lawrie Johnson and
Ken Hill raised the variety to species status as ''E. longirostrata'', publishing the change in ''
Flora of Australia
The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 30,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwa ...
''.
The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
(''longirostrata'') is from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
words ''longus'' meaning "long"
and ''rostratus'' meaning "beaked",
referring to the long, beaked operculum.
Distribution and habitat
''Eucalyptus longirostrata'' grows in open forest on hills and ridges in Queensland, between the
Blackdown Tableland Blackdown or Black Down may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Blackdown, Queensland, a locality in the Central Highlands Region
*Blackdown Tableland National Park in Queensland.
Canada
*Blackdown Cadet Training Centre, a Canadian Cadet training c ...
and the
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...
district.
Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "least concern" 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=Q15396897
Trees of Australia
longirostrata
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1934
Taxa named by William Blakely