Eucalyptus sporadica

Eucalyptus sporadica, commonly known as the Burngup mallee,[2] is a species of mallee that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, yellowish flowers and down-turned, conical to cylindrical fruit.

Burngup mallee
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. sporadica
Binomial name
Eucalyptus sporadica
Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Description

Eucalyptus sporadica is a mallee that typically grows to a height of 4 m (13 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth, red-brown, grey, greenish grey or silvery white bark, occasionally with a short stocking of rough bark. Young plants and coppice regrowth have light green to bluish green, egg-shaped to lance-shaped or elliptical leaves that are 35–75 mm (1.4–3.0 in) long, 15–30 mm (0.59–1.18 in) wide and petiolate. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped or curved, 50–100 mm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 8–18 mm (0.31–0.71 in) wide on a petiole 7–25 mm (0.28–0.98 in) long. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils on a downcurved, flattened peduncle 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. Mature buds are an elongated, asymmetrical spindle shape, 13–28 mm (0.51–1.10 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) wide with a horn-shaped operculum that is two or three times as long as the floral cup. Flowering occurs from March or June to October or December and the flowers are lemon to greenish yellow. The fruit is a woody, downturned, conical to cylindrical capsule 6–15 mm (0.24–0.59 in) long and 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide with the valves exserted.[3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus sporadica was first formally described in 2002 by Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected by Brooker near Burngup, south-east of Pingaring in 1984.[3][7] The specific epithet (sporadica) is from the Latin word sporadicus meaning "sporadic", referring to the widespread but scattered distribution of the species.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Burngup mallee grows on sand, loam, clay soils and gravel and is found on granite outcrops, lateritic hills and breakaways.[5][8] It is found between Peak Charles, Tarin Rock and the Fitzgerald River National Park in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains, Mallee and Murchison biogeographic regions.[4][5]

Conservation status

This mallee is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Eucalyptus sporadica". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  2. "Eucalyptus sporadica". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. Brooker, M.I.H. & Hopper, S.D. (2002) Taxonomy of species deriving from the publication of Eucalyptus subseries Cornutae Benth. (Myrtaceae). Nuytsia 14(3): 356-358, Figs 9 (map), 10
  4. "Eucalyptus sporadica". Euclid:Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  5. Florabase Eucalyptus sporadica. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  6. Corrick, Margaret; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2013). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 9781877058844.
  7. "APNI: Eucalyptus sporadica". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  8. Brooker, M.I.H. & Kleinig, D.A. (2006) 'Field Guide to Eucalypts Volume 1 South-eastern Australia.' (p.121) (Bloomings Books: Melbourne)
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