''Eucalyptus bosistoana'', commonly known as the coast grey box or Bosisto's box, is a tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, flaky bark at the base of its trunk, smooth cream yellow or grey bark above and sometimes throughout, the smooth bark shed in ribbons. The adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved and the flower buds are arranged in groups of seven. The flowers are white and the fruit is a cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or hemispherical capsule. Eucalyptus bosistoana buds

Description

''Eucalyptus bosistoana'' is the largest of the "box" group of

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

s, grows to a height of up to with a stem diameter of at least and forms a

lignotuber A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a response t ...

. The bark on the lower part of the trunk is thin, greyish brown, rough and flaky. The bark on the upper part of the trunk and on the branches is smooth, white, cream-coloured or grey and is shed in ribbons. Sometimes all the bark is smooth. Young plants and

coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeate ...

regrowth have rounded stems and oblong to elliptic or egg-shaped, pale green leaves, long and wide with a petiole. Adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved, the same colour on both sides, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are usually arranged in groups of seven in leaf axils on a peduncle long, the individual buds on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering mainly occurs from January to April and the flowers are white. The fruit are cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or hemispherical, long and wide on a pedicel long with the valves level with the rim or enclosed.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus bosistoana'' was first formally described in 1895 by Ferdinand von Mueller. The description was published in the ''Australasian Journal of Pharmacy''. The specific epithet (''bosistoana'') honours Joseph Bosisto, who was one of the first in Australia to extract essential oils, especially eucalyptus oil.

Distribution and habitat

Coast grey box occurs in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

from as far north as the

Wolgan Valley Wolgan Valley is a small valley located along the Wolgan River in the Lithgow Region of New South Wales, Australia. The valley is located approximately north of Lithgow and 150 kilometres north-west of Sydney. Accessible by thWolgan Valley Di ...

, west of Sydney and as far south as eastern

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...

. It is found near streams in lowland areas on better quality soils, particularly over

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, although it may also appear on the tablelands up to above sea level, near

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

and Bungonia. ''Eucalyptus bosistoana'' is seen growing with '' E. cypellocarpa'', '' E. longifolia'', '' E. paniculata'', '' E. sideroxylon'', ''

Corymbia maculata ''Corymbia maculata'', commonly known as spotted gum, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth, mottled bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of three, whit ...

'', '' E. angophoroides'', '' E. elata'', '' E. muelleriana'', '' E. globoidea'' and other trees such as '' Casuarina cunninghamiana''.

Uses

A significant timber species, resistant to termites though susceptible to

lyctus Lyctus or Lyttos ( Greek: or ), was one of the most considerable cities in ancient Crete, which appears in the Homeric catalogue. Lyttos is now a village in the municipality of Minoa Pediada. Lyctus in mythology According to Hesiod, ''Theogon ...

borers. The interlocked grain timber is highly regarded for heavy engineering. Other uses include construction, piles, poles and sleepers. A durable timber of considerable weight, being 1100 kilograms per cubic metre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eucalyptus Bosistoana bosistoana Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Trees of Australia Plants described in 1895 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller