''Eucalyptus acroleuca'', commonly known as the Lakefield coolibah,
is a tree that is
endemic to
Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia. It has rough,
tessellated bark near its base then smooth, white bark, lance-shaped leaves, oval to club-shaped buds with a hemispherical
operculum and cup-shaped fruits.
Description
''Eucalyptus acroleuca'' is a tree that grows to a height of up to with hard black or dark grey, tessellated bark for the lowest of its trunk. The upper bark is smooth, white and shed annually. Adult leaves are lance-shaped, long and wide with a
petiole long. The flowers are arranged in groups of up to seven on a thin, cylindrical
peduncle Peduncle may refer to:
*Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed
*Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body
**Peduncle (art ...
up to long, individual flowers on a cylindrical
pedicel long. The buds are oval to club-shaped, long and wide at maturity. The
operculum is hemispherical, about half as long as the
flower cup. The fruit is a cup-shaped
capsule, long and wide.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus acroleuca'' was first formally described in 1994 by
Lawrie Johnson and
Ken Hill from a specimen collected near the New Laura Homestead.
The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
(''acroleuca'') is derived from the
Ancient Greek words ''acros'' meaning "highest" and ''leucos'' meaning "white", referring to the white bark on the higher branches of this species.
Distribution and habitat
This tree often grows in pure stands in woodland in heavy soils that are flooded in the wet season, and often grows near permanent lagoons. It occurs in the
Rinyirru National Park.
Conservation
''Eucalyptus acroleuca'' is classed as "least concern" under the Queensland Government
Nature Conservation Act 1992.
See also
*
List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396769
acroleuca
Trees of Australia
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1994
Taxa named by Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson
Taxa named by Ken Hill (botanist)