| Woollybutt | |
|---|---|
| Batemans Bay, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eucalyptus |
| Species: | E. longifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Eucalyptus longifolia Link |
|
Eucalyptus longifolia, known by the common name woollybutt, is a tree of the myrtle family myrtaceae native to eastern Australia. It has thick, fibrous bark usually colored light gray and white, and long narrow grey-green leaves. The drooping flowerheads in groups of three are a distinguishing feature. It grows in heavy soils often near water.
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The woollybutt was described by German naturalist Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1822.[1] The specific epithet is the Latin words longus "long" and folium "leaf". Within the genus Eucalyptus, it belongs in the subgenus Symphyomyrtus.[2] The term woollybutt relates to the bark.[3]
Eucalyptus longifolia grows as a tall tree to 35 m (100 ft) high, with a trunk diameter attaining 1 m (3 ft).[3] The long narrow leaves are lanceolate (spear-shaped) and measure 10–25 cm (4-10 in) long and 1.5–2.6 cm (0.6–1 in) wide. They are a uniform grey-green or blue-green in colour. The white flowerheads are arranged in groups of three,[4] and droop.
The range is from Morisett in central New South Wales south to the Victorian border.[4] In the north of its range it is more scattered in its distribution, but becomes more common south of Nowra to Bega.[3] It generally grows on clay soils and floodplains, sometimes in areas with poor drainage,[5] in valleys and low areas.[3] In open sclerophyll forest, it grows alongside such trees as white mahogany (E. acmenoides), grey box (E. moluccana), forest red gum (E. tereticornis), and rough-barked apple (Angophora floribunda), while in swampy areas it is found with swamp mahogany (E. robusta) and paperbark species such as snow-in-summer (Melaleuca linariifolia), prickly paperbark (M. styphelioides) and swamp paperbark (M. ericifolia).[5]
The woollybutt regenerates by regrowing from epicormic buds after bushfire. Trees live for over a hundred years. The Grey-headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) and Little Red Flying Fox (P. scapulatus) eat the flowers.[5] The longhorn beetle species Paroplites australis has been recorded from the woollybutt.[6]
The dark red timber is hard and resistant to water,[2] and termites.[5] It has been used in railway sleepers and other general construction.[3] The woollybutt is also important in beekeeping and the honey industry.[2] It is useful as a shade tree or windbreak in paddocks, but grows too large for the average garden.[2]