''Eucalyptus torquata'', commonly known as coral gum or Coolgardie gum, is an

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 ...

tree 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 ...

. The species is cultivated for use in gardens and as a street tree.

Description

A tree, small and stout in form, with beautiful flowers. It reaches between in height in its native habitat which has a spreading habit. It produces clusters of orange barrel-shaped buds with horned caps, which are followed by prolific red or pink flowers between August and December. The bark is rough and is persistent on the trunk and branches. The bark is fibrous-flaky box type grey-black, grey or black colour bark with whitish patches. The leaves are greyish green in colour, the blade has a

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 ...

shape and is in length and wide. The leaves are basally tapered, the petioles are quadrangular or narrowly flattened or channelled. The conflorescences have a diameter that are with flowers that are normally coral-pink in colour but white, cream and red flowered plants are known. They are simple and axillary with three to seven flowered umbellasters with terete peduncles. The buds have a rostrate or urceolate shape and are not pruinose, the calyx calyptrate sheds early. The fruits that form later have a cylindrical shape with a depressed disc and enclosed valves.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

Johann George Luehmann Johann George Luehmann (12 May 1843 – 18 November 1904) was an Australian botanist, who served as the Assistant Botanist and, later, as the Curator at the National Herbarium of Victoria, and who also, from 1896, served as the Government Botanis ...

in 1897 in '' Victorian Naturalist''. The type specimen was collected by W.A. Macpherson from near Coolgardie. The species name ''torquata'' is taken 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 ''torquatus'' meaning having a twisted ring or collar. This refers to the corrugated structure found at the base of the buds and fruit. Amongst the common names of the species is the use of Christmas tree, given for flowers that appear in December, and Goldfields red flowering gum for the region's mining operations.

Distribution

Goldfields Red Flowering Gum in Primer of Forestry Poole 1922

It is found on hillsides around

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...

and Coolgardie, and south to about

Widgiemooltha Widgiemooltha is an Ghost town, abandoned town in Western Australia east of Perth, Western Australia between Kambalda, Western Australia, Kambalda and Norseman, Western Australia, Norseman in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australi ...

in the Goldfields region of Western Australia where it grows in stony loam or clay and red sandy soils.

Uses

Coral gum is commonly cultivated for small gardens and for use as an ornamental or as a street tree, especially in arid areas. Flowering often occurs in 2 years from seed. It can be grown in large containers in well-drained soils.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5405722 Eucalypts of Western Australia Trees of Australia Trees of Mediterranean climate torquata Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1897

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

Uses

See also

References