Eucalyptus sweedmaniana

Eucalyptus sweedmaniana is a sprawling to prostrate mallee that is endemic to a small area in the Cape Arid National Park in Western Australia. It has smooth, silvery grey bark, broadly lance-shaped, glossy green adult leaves, single red, pendulous flower buds in leaf axils, pink flowers and prominently winged fruit.

Sweedman's sprawling mallee
Eucalyptus sweedmaniana at Kings Park

Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. sweedmaniana
Binomial name
Eucalyptus sweedmaniana
Hopper & McQuoid[1]

Description

Eucalyptus sweedmaniana is a sprawling or prostrate mallee that grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in), a width of 5 m (16 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth, shiny silvery grey bark that fades to dull grey. Young plants have reddish green, lance-shaped to elliptical leaves that are 42–63 mm (1.7–2.5 in) long and 19–25 mm (0.75–0.98 in) wide on a petiole 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) long. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, broadly lance-shaped, 165–263 mm (6.5–10.4 in) long and 45–67 mm (1.8–2.6 in) wide on thick, flattened petiole 38–48 mm (1.5–1.9 in) long. The flower buds are arranged singly in leaf axils on a down-curved, winged peduncle. The mature flower buds are red, square in cross section with prominent wings, with a red, pyramid-shaped operculum. Flowering has been observed from November to February and the flowers are pink. The fruit is a woody, cube-shaped to oblong capsule that is square in cross-section, 34–38 mm (1.3–1.5 in) long and 30–41 mm (1.2–1.6 in) wide with prominent wings and the valves enclosed below the rim.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Eucalyptus sweedmaniana was first formally described in 2009 by Stephen Hopper and Nathan K. McQuoid and the description was published in Australian Systematic Botany from a specimen in the Cape Arid National Park in 2006.[2][4] The specific epithet (sweedmaniana) honours Luke Sweedman, a former curator of the Western Australian Seed Technology Centre, Western Australian Botanic Garden, Kings Park and Botanic Garden.[2]

Distribution

This mallee is only known from the lower coastal slopes of Mount Arid where it is exposed to significant salt spray.[2][5]

Conservation

Eucalyptus sweedmaniana is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[5] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[6]

See also

References

  1. "Eucalyptus sweedmaniana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  2. Hopper, Stephen D.; McQuoid, Nathan K. (2009). "Two new rare species and a new hybrid in Eucalyptus series Tetrapterae (Myrtaceae) from southern coastal Western Australia". Australian Systematic Botany. 22 (3): 185–187. doi:10.1071/SB06034.
  3. "Eucalyptus sweedmaniana". Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. "Eucalyptus sweedmaniana". APNI. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  5. "Eucalyptus sweedmaniana". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
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