Eucalyptus arcana

Mallee manna gum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species: E. arcana
Binomial name
Eucalyptus arcana
(Nicolle & Brooker) K.Rule
Synonyms

Eucalyptus splendens subsp. arcana

Eucalyptus arcana, commonly known as the Mallee manna gum or Carpenter Rocks gum[1] is a mallee that is native to the south coast of South Australia.

The single or several-stemmed low straggly tree typically grows to 6 metres (20 ft) in height and has rough, fibrous, grey to grey-brown bark from the trunk to smaller branches, and smooth, grey to cream bark above. Adult leaves are a glossy green with a blade that is 120 millimetres (4.7 in) long and 35 mm (1.4 in) wide with a lanceolate shape.[2] It blooms in February producing axillary flowers in clusters of seven with very short or lacking individual stalks then buds that are 7.5 mm (0.30 in) long and 5.5 mm (0.22 in) wide with an egg-shape and a bud-cap cone-shaped equal to the base. It will later fruit forming rounded to cone-shaped 7 mm (0.28 in) long and 8 mm (0.31 in) wide fruit containing dark brown to black ovoid seeds.[2]

The species is rare and has a limited range and occurs on low rises in shallow red clay-loam impoverished soils over limestone around the coastal town of Carpenter Rocks in south-east South Australia.[3] It is found amongst dense tall shrubland,[2] associated species include Eucalyptus obliqua and Eucalyptus ovata.[3] Another population occurs along the soat coast of Victoria near Moonlight Head.

Initially known as Eucalyptus splendens subsp. arcana which was described by the botanists D.Nicolle & Brooker in 1998 the species was renamed to E. arcana by K.Rule in 2009.[4][3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dean Nicolle. "Native Eucalypts of South Australia". Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Eucalyptus arcana (Myrtaceae) Carpenter Rocks Gum". Seed of South Australia. Botanic Gardens of South Australia. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 K. Rule. "Eucalyptus arcana (Myrtaceae), a new combination for a former subspecies of Eucalyptus splendens and notes on a population of scentbark occurring near Moonlight Head in south-west Victoria" (PDF). Muelleria. National Herbarium of Victoria.
  4. ↑ "Eucalyptus arcana (D.Nicolle & Brooker) Rule". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
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