''Eucalyptus megacornuta'', also known as warted yate or warty yate, is a species of

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

that is endemic to the south-west 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 ...

Description

The tree typically grows to a height of with a crown of up to about wide. ''E. megacornuta'' has the habit of a small tree or shrub with a smooth brown to grey-red and green trunk and smooth bark over the length of the trunk and branches. The dull, green, thick and concolorous adult leaves have a disjunct arrangement. The leaf blade has

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

to elliptic shape that is basally tapered. It produces large yellow-green flowers that occur from July to October in the species' native range. Each simple, axillary conflorescence is made up of three to seven flowered umbellasters on broadly flattened peduncles. The fruits or capsules are clustered and sessile on a flattened peduncle. They have a

campanulate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

shape with one prominent rib with many weak ribs. The capsules are in length and wide with three exserted valves.

Taxonomy

The species was formally described by botanist

Charles Austin Gardner Charles Austin Gardner (6 January 1896 – 24 February 1970) was a Western Australian botanist. Biography Born in Lancaster, in England, on 6 January 1896, Gardner emigrated to Western Australia with his family in 1909, where they took pos ...

in 1942 as part of the work ''Contributiones Florae Australiae Occidentalis'' as published in the ''Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia''. The type specimen was collected by Gardner in 1935 near Ravensthorpe. 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 ...

(''megacornuta'') means "large-horned", referring to the operculum. ''E. megacornuta'' is very similar in appearance to the closely related Beaufort Inlet Mallee (''

Eucalyptus newbeyi ''Eucalyptus newbeyi'', commonly known as Beaufort Inlet mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It has smooth, mottled bark, narrow leaves, flower buds usually in groups of seven, ...

'') and Burdett's mallee (''

Eucalyptus burdettiana ''Eucalyptus burdettiana'', commonly known as Burdett gum or Burdett's mallee, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to Western Australia. It is a Mallee (habit), mallee or shrub with smooth bark, lance- ...

'').

Distribution

The species is found on hillsides and in creek beds along the south coast in the Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia between Albany and Hopetoun, particularly in the Ravensthorpe Range, where it grows in loamy alluvium soils over

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

laterite Laterite is a soil type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by intensive and prolo ...

Conservation status

''Eucalyptus megacornuta'' is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

'' but as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and en ...

Use in horticulture

The species is sold commercially in seed for or as tube stock, it grows well in full or par sun and is

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

tolerant once established. A fast growing plant it can be used as an ornamental or privacy screening. The tree produces abundant

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

when it flowers so it is prized by

apiarist A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping. The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees in beehives, boxes, or other receptacles. The beekeeper does not control the creatures. The beekeeper o ...

s and is a good bird attractor. The dried seed pods are also used in flower arrangements.

References