Eucalyptus tetraptera

Square-fruited mallee
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species: E. tetraptera
Binomial name
Eucalyptus tetraptera
E. tetraptera, field distribution

Eucalyptus tetraptera, square-fruited mallee,also four-winged mallee[1] is a low, straggly mallee with smooth, grey or whitish-grey bark. Juvenile leaves are stalked, ovate to broadly elliptical, to 12 × 7 cm. Adult leaves are stalked, elliptical to lanceolate, thick, to 25 × 7 cm, concolorous and glossy green. Flowers are pink in late winter to mid summer. Fruit is red, sessile, oblong and winged along corners to 5 × 4.2 cm.

The distribution is limited to coastal sandplains of southern Western Australia, from the Stirling Ranges east to Israelite Bay.

E. tetraptera is one of the most bizarre of the eucalypts with its spectacular, large, red buds and fruit. A popular ornamental.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Chippendale, G.M. (1973) Eucalypts of the Western Australian goldfields (and the adjacent wheatbelt), Canberra. AGPS p.175
  2. ↑ Brooker, I. & Kleinig, D., Eucalyptus, An illustrated guide to identification, Reed Books, Melbourne, 1996 ISBN 0-7301-0494-X
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eucalyptus tetraptera.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.