Eucalyptus cladocalyx

Sugar gum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species: E. cladocalyx
Binomial name
Eucalyptus cladocalyx
F. Muell.
E. cladocalyx, field distribution

Eucalyptus cladocalyx, commonly known as Sugar Gum, is a eucalypt from South Australia. It is found naturally in three distinct populations - in the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula and on Kangaroo Island. It has no known close relatives.

Description

The tree notable for its mottled colourful yellow to orange bark, strongly discolourous leaves and inflorescences grouped on leafless branchlets inside the tree crown. The old bark is smooth and grey, shedding in irregular patches to expose the fresh yellowy-brown bark. Flowers are creamy-white in summer. The capsules are barrel to urn shaped.

Sugar Gums from the Flinders Ranges reach up to 35m in height and have the classic "gum" habit - with a straight trunk and steep branches occurring about halfway up. Each main branch ends with its own little canopy. These are commonly cultivated as farm windbreaks and for timber. However, Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island trees are much shorter and often have crooked trunks.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, October 17, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.