Eucalyptus cordata

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Heart-leaved Silver gum
Eucalyptus cordata, Melbourne
Eucalyptus cordata, Melbourne
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species: E. cordata
Binomial name
Eucalyptus cordata
E. cordata, juvenile leaves
E. cordata, juvenile leaves
E. cordata, field distribution
E. cordata, field distribution
E. cordata, buds
E. cordata, buds

Eucalyptus cordata, Heart-leafed Silver gum, is a shrub to medium sized tree with bark that is smooth throughout, white, green, purplish, grey or greenish-yellow. Juvenile leaves are stalkless, opposite, stem-clasping, with scalloped edges, round or heart-shaped, to 10x 8 cm, greenish-grey, glaucous; stems square in cross section, shrubs and smaller trees mature and flower in the juvenile phase. Adult leaves are stalked, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, to 13 x 3.5cm, concolorous, grey-green to glaucous. Buds in axils of leaves, in 3's, stalkless or very shortly stalked, glaucous, to 1 x 0.6cm; base cylindrical; operculum flattened and beaked.

Flowers are white and appear in Mid winter to early spring.

Eucalyptus cordata is endemic to Tasmania of restricted distribution in the south-east at intermediate altitudes such as the foothills of Mount Wellington, Snug Plains, Port Arthur and Moogara. The tree makes and attractive ornamental with its large, glaucous juvenile leaves, which often persist in the crown. [1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brooker, I. & Kleinig, D., Eucalyptus, An illustrated guide to identification, Reed Books, Melbourne, 1996