''Eucalyptus comitae-vallis'', commonly known as Comet Vale mallee
or Cowcowing mallee,
[ ] is a
mallee that is
endemic to the south-west of
Western Australia. It has rough, flaky to ribbony bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth withish bark above, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to eleven, white flowers and barrel-shaped, conical or cup-shaped fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus comitae-vallis'' is a mallee, rarely a tree, that typically grows to a height of and forms a
lignotuber. The bark is rough, ribbony and grey on the trunks and larger branches then smooth and pinkish grey yellow-green above. Leaves on young plants and
coppice regrowth are dull, greyish, long and wide and always have a
petiole. Adult leaves are linear to narrow lance-shaped, the same more or less glossy green on both sides, long and wide on a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven, nine or eleven in leaf
axil
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
s on a
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 ...
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 cylindrical to narrow pear-shaped, long and wide with a rounded to flattened
operculum with a short beak. Flowering occurs from February to April and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, barrel-shaped to conical or cup-shaped
capsule long and wide on a pedicel long and with the valves at rim level.
Taxonomy
''Eucalyptus comitae-vallis'' was first formally described in 1923 by
Joseph Maiden from a specimen collected from
Comet Vale by
John Thomas Jutson
John Thomas Jutson (1874 – 14 November 1959) was an Australian geologist and lawyer.
Jutson was born in Melbourne and while working as a clerk in a law firm, studied geology part-time. He became geological research scholar, University of Melbou ...
. The description was published in Maiden's book, ''A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus''.
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 ...
(''comitae-vallis'') is the latinised version of the
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
location.
In 1934,
William Blakely described ''Eucalyptus brachycorys'' but the name is considered by the
Australian Plant Census to be a
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
.
Distribution
Comet Vale mallee is mainly found between
Menzies and
Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
in the
Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
,
Wheatbelt and
Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy-clay-loamy soils in open shrubland.
Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...
.
See also
* List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15399865, from2=Q15396312
comitae-vallis
Endemic flora of Western Australia
Mallees (habit)
Myrtales of Australia
Eucalypts of Western Australia
Plants described in 1923
Taxa named by Joseph Maiden