Long Leaf Box

''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'', commonly known as long-leaved box, olive-barked box or bundy, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

Description

''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has more or less rough, fibrous, greyish bark, although the thickness and nature depends on subspecies. Young plants and coppice regrowth have sessile, more or less round leaves long and wide arranged in opposite pairs. Adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of seven on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds usually sessile. Mature buds are oblong to oval, long and wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering occurs between March and August and the flowers are white. The fruit is a sessile, woody cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped capsule long and with the valves below rim level or slightly protruding.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' was first formally described in 1856 by Friedrich Miquel from an unpublished description by Ferdinand von Mueller. Miquel published the description in the journal ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief''.

In 1997, Dean Nicolle described two subspecies, subsp. ''goniocalyx'' and ''exposa'' and in 2011, Kevin Rule described a further three subspecies, ''fallax'', ''laxa'' and ''viridissima''. All five are accepted subspecies at the Australian Plant Census:
* ''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' subsp. ''exposa'' D.Nicolle is a mallee with smooth bark, or thinner rough bark, small adult leaves and waxy branchlets, buds and fruit;
* ''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' subsp. ''fallax'' Rule has thin, light brown, fibrous bark that appears smooth and glaucous or blue-green juvenile leaves;
* ''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' F.Muell. ex Miq. subsp. ''goniocalyx'' has thick, often crusty, scaly bark extending to the thinner branches and glaucous, or blue-green juvenile leaves;
* ''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' subsp. ''laxa'' Rule only has rough bark on the lower trunk with loosely attached, smooth, non-fibrous bark above;
* ''Eucalyptus goniocalyx'' subsp. ''viridissima'' Rule is distinguished by its glossy green juvenile leaves.
The specific epithet ''goniocalyx'' is from the Greek ''gonia'' meaning 'angle' and ''calyx'' (referring to the flower bud or hypanthium). The epithet ''exposa'' is from the English word and refers to the exposed habitat of the subspecies. ''Fallax'' is derived from the Latin ''fallax'' meaning 'false' or 'deceitful', referring to the deceptive appearance of the bark. The epithet ''laxa'' is derived from the Latin ''laxus'', 'loose', referring to loosely attached bark and ''viridissima'' is based on the Latin word ''viridis'' meaning 'green' with the suffix ''issimus'' 'very', referring to the bright green juvenile leaves of the subspecies.

Distribution and habitat

Subspecies ''goniocalyx'' grows in woodland, usually on hilly, rocky ridges and is widespread south of Mudgee in New South Wales and through central Victoria. There are also scattered populations in the south-east of South Australia. Subspecies ''exposa'' only occurs in the Elder Range and Wilpena Pound areas where it grows on the summits of peaks, often with '' E. flindersii''. Subspecies ''fallax'' is only known from a single occurrence in forest, south of Mount Blackwood, near Greendale in central Victoria. Subspecies ''laxa'' grows in well-watered, heavy soil in the Brisbane Ranges National Park and subspecies ''viridissima'' occurs in scattered populations in Victoria in such places as the Grampians and Halls Gap areas.

Uses

Essential oils

The leaves are of this species are distilled for the production of cineole based eucalyptus oil.Boland, D.J., Brophy, J.J., and A.P.N. House, ''Eucalyptus Leaf Oils'', 1991,

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2512668

goniocalyx
Myrtales of Australia
Trees of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Victoria (state)
Flora of South Australia
Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller
Plants described in 1860
Taxa named by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel