Eucalyptus ligulata, commonly known as Lucky Bay mallee,[2] is a mallee that is native to a few small areas along the south coast of Western Australia. It has smooth bark on the trunk and branches, narrow lance-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of between nine and thirteen, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit with shallow ribs on the sides.
| Lucky Bay mallee | |
|---|---|
| |
| Eucalyptus ligulata flowers and buds | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eucalyptus |
| Species: | E. ligulata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eucalyptus ligulata | |
Description
editEucalyptus ligulata is a mallee that typically grows to a height of 3 to 4 metres (10 to 13 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth pale grey to greenish bark on the trunk and branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have sessile, oblong to lance-shaped leaves that are arranged in opposite pairs, 60–100 mm (2.4–3.9 in) long and 20–45 mm (0.79–1.77 in) wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, slightly glossy green to bluish, narrow elliptic to narrow lance-shaped, 40–85 mm (1.6–3.3 in) long and 8–20 mm (0.31–0.79 in) wide, tapering to a petiole 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of between nine and thirteen on a peduncle 9–18 mm (0.35–0.71 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long. Mature buds are oval to spindle-shaped, 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide with a conical operculum equal in length to the floral cup. Flowering occurs from March or May to June or October and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped or barrel-shaped capsule with shallow ribs along the sides and the valves enclosed below the level of the rim.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy and naming
editEucalyptus ligulata was first formally described in 1974 by the botanist Ian Brooker from a specimen collected by Keith M. Allan near a beach in the Cape Le Grand National Park. The description was published in the journal Nuytsia.[5][6][7] The specific epithet (ligulata) is a Latin word meaning "strap-shaped".[8]
In 2002, Dean Nicolle described two subspecies and the names have been accepted by the Australian Plant Census:[9]
Distribution and habitat
editSubspecies ligulata grows in sand over granite and near granite outcrops in Cape Le Grand National Park and Cape Arid National Park. Subspecies stirlingica grows in mallee shrubland in the Stirling Range National Park.[9]
Conservation status
editBoth subspecies of E. ligulata are classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife,[12][13] meaning that each is rare or near threatened.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Eucalyptus ligulata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata subsp. ligulata". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus ligulata". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ a b Brooker, M. Ian H. (1974). "Six new species of Eucalyptus from Western Australia". Nuytsia. 1 (4): 300–302. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata". APNI. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators (A)". Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 240. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ a b Nicolle, Dean (2002). "A revision of Eucalyptus series Calcicolae (Myrtaceae) from the south coasst of Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 15 (1): 74–76. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata subsp. ligulata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata subsp. stirlingica". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata subsp. ligulata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Eucalyptus ligulata subsp. stirlingica". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 14 September 2019.