Cullen's ironbark
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. cullenii
Binomial name
Eucalyptus cullenii

Eucalyptus cullenii, commonly known as Cullen's ironbark,[2] is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has thick, rough, deeply furrowed "ironbark", lance-shaped adult leaves, green to yellow flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

Description

Eucalyptus cullenii is a tree that typically grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has thick, rough, dark grey or black, deeply and widely furrowed ironbark on its trunk and branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves 40–110 mm (1.6–4.3 in) long and 4–15 mm (0.16–0.59 in) wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped, the same dull green or greyish green on both sides, 70–150 mm (2.8–5.9 in) long and 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) wide on a petiole 7–17 mm (0.28–0.67 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven on a peduncle 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long, the individual buds on a pedicel 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long. Mature buds are oval to spherical or pear-shaped, green to yellow, 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide with a rounded operculum. Flowering occurs from January to May and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody hemispherical capsule 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide on a pedicel 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long with the valves close to rim level.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus cullenii was first formally described in 1920 by Richard Hind Cambage from a specimen collected at Almaden in 1913.[4][5] The specific epithet (cullenii) honours William Portus Cullen, a barrister and later Chief Justice of New South Wales.[2][4]

Distribution and habitat

Cullen's ironbark grows in red podsols and shallow stony soil in hilly or undulating woodland on the northern and eastern parts of the Cape York Peninsula.[3]

Conservation status

This eucalypt is classified as "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Eucalyptus cullenii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Eucalyptus cullenii". Euclid: Cemtre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus cullenii". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Cambage, Richard H. (1920). "A new species of Queensland ironbark". Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. 54: 48–51. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  5. ↑ "Eucalyptus cullenii". APNI. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  6. ↑ "Cullen's ironbark – Eucalyptus cullenii". WetlandInfo. Queensland Government. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
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