''Eucalyptus cullenii'', commonly known as Cullen's ironbark,
is a species of small to medium-sized 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 elsew ...
to
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. It has thick, rough, deeply furrowed "
ironbark
Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the genus ''Eucalyptus'' that have dark, deeply furrowed bark.
Instead of being shed annually as in many of the other species of ''Eucalyptus'', the dead bark accu ...
", lance-shaped adult leaves, green to yellow flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus cullenii'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of 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 ...
. It has thick, rough, dark grey or black, deeply and widely furrowed ironbark on its trunk and branches. 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 repeated ...
regrowth have dull, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves long and wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped, the same dull green or greyish green on both sides, long and wide on a
petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven 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 to spherical or pear-shaped, green to yellow, long and wide with a rounded
operculum. Flowering occurs from January to May and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody hemispherical
capsule long and wide on a pedicel long with the valves close to rim level.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus cullenii'' was first formally described in 1920 by
Richard Hind Cambage
Richard Hind Cambage (7 November 1859 – 28 November 1928) was an Australian surveyor and botanist who made important contributions to the description of the genera ''Acacia'' and ''Eucalyptus''.
Early life
Cambage, son of John Fisher Camba ...
from a specimen collected at
Almaden in 1913.
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 ...
(''cullenii'') honours
William Portus Cullen
Sir William Portus Cullen (28 May 1855 – 6 April 1935) was an Australian barrister, the 7th Chief Justice of New South Wales, Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, and Chancellor of the University of Sydney.
Early life and education
Cull ...
, a barrister and later
Chief Justice of New South Wales
The Chief Justice of New South Wales is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of New South Wales. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court ...
.
Distribution and habitat
Cullen's ironbark grows in red
podsol
In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of huma ...
s and shallow stony soil in hilly or undulating woodland on the northern and eastern parts of the
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...
.
Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "least concern" under the Queensland Government ''
Nature Conservation Act 1992
The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota.
As originally published, it prov ...
.
See also
*
List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396476
Trees of Australia
cullenii
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1920