''Eucalyptus punctata'', commonly known as grey gum, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in patches, lance-shaped, curved or egg-shaped adult leaves flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit. Its leaves are one of the favoured foods of the koala.

Description

''Eucalyptus punctata'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth grey, brown or cream-coloured bark that is shed in patches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull green leaves that are paler on the lower surface, egg-shaped to lance-shaped, long and wide and

petiolate 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, a ...

. Adult leaves are glossy dark green, paler on the lower surface, lance-shaped or curved to egg-shaped, long and wide tapering to 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, st ...

s in groups of seven on an 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 long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering occurs from December to March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped or hemispherical capsule long and wide.

Taxonomy

''Eucalyptus punctata'' was first formally described in 1828 by Swiss naturalist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in his book '' Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis''. The specifici epithet (''punctata'') is from the Latin adjective ''punctatus'' meaning "spotted" and refers to the oil glands, which give the leaves a dotted appearance. It is one a group of related species known collectively as large-fruited grey gums found in eastern Australia, the others being '' E. longirostrata'' from eastern Queensland, '' E. biturbinata'' from the New England region, and '' E. canaliculata'' from the vicinity of Gloucester and Dungog in central-northern New South Wales.

Distribution and habitat

Grey gum occurs through the ranges and near coastal areas from near Gympie in Queensland to near Nowra in New South Wales, most commonly on transition zone soil types between sandstone and shale. It grows in tall open sclerophyll forest, associated with such species as red bloodwood ('' Corymbia gummifera''), pink bloodwood ('' C. intermedia''), spotted gum ('' C. maculata''), white stringybark (''

E. globoidea ''Eucalyptus globoidea'', commonly known as the white stringybark, is a tree that is endemic to near-coastal areas of south-eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy bark, often furrowed on the trunk, glossy, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, often curv ...

''), Sydney peppermint ('' E. piperita''), blackbutt ('' E. pilularis''), yellow box ('' E. melliodora''), mountain grey gum ('' E. cypellocarpa''), narrow-leaved ironbark ('' E. crebra''), grey ironbark ('' E. paniculata''), broad-leaved white mahogany ('' E. umbra''), white mahogany ('' E. acmenoides''), and apples (''

Angophora ''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projec ...

'' species).

Ecology

The grey gum regenerates by regrowing from the base and branches after bushfire. Trees live for over a hundred years. The grey-headed flying fox (''Pteropus poliocephalus'') eats the flowers, while the leaves form a staple of the diet of the koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''). Leaves in winter contain less nitrogen than those in summer, which the koalas make up for by eating more in winter months. The

brown-headed honeyeater The brown-headed honeyeater (''Melithreptus brevirostris'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. Taxonomy T ...

(''Melithreptus brevirostris'') and yellow-tufted honeyeater (''Lichenostomus melanops'') have been observed eating gum exudate from the stems. Fieldwork at several sites around central New South Wales showed that the red wattlebird (''Anthochaera carunculata'') and

noisy friarbird The noisy friarbird (''Philemon corniculatus'') is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is one of several species known as friarbirds whose heads are bare of feathers. It ...

(''Philemon corniculatus'') preferred to forage on the foliage of the grey gum over other trees, with the former appearing to oust the latter if both species were present.

Uses

The timber is very hard and durable, and used in construction and for railway sleepers. The multicoloured bark of ''Eucalyptus punctata'' that appears from time to time gives the tree some horticultural appeal, and it has potential applications in large parks, reserves and fields.

Gallery

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5405694 punctata Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1828