''Eucalyptus eugenioides'', commonly known as the thin-leaved stringybark or white stringybark,
is a species of tree
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 eastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, Flower buds in groups of between nine and fifteen, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus eugenioides'' 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 ...
. Its trunk is wide at
chest height and has rough, stringy, grey to reddish bark. 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 egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves long and wide, glossy green on the upper surface and distinctly paler below. Adult leaves are more or less the same glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, long and wide on a
petiole long. The flower buds are arranged 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 in groups of nine to fifteen, on an unbranched
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 green to yellow, oval to spindle-shaped, long and wide with a conical to beaked
operculum. Flowering occurs from July to January. The fruit is a woody, hemispherical or shortened spherical
capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level or slightly beyond.
Taxonomy
''Eucalyptus eugenioides'' was first formally described in 1827 by
Kurt Sprengel
Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (3 August 1766 – 15 March 1833) was a German botanist and physician who published an influential multivolume history of medicine, ''Versuch einer pragmatischen Geschichte der Arzneikunde'' (1792–99 in four vol ...
from an unpublished description by
Franz Sieber
Franz Wilhelm Sieber (30 March 1789 – 17 December 1844), was a botanist and collector who travelled to Europe, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Australia.
Early life
Franz Sieber was born in Prague, Bohemia on 30 March 1789.
After 5&nb ...
and the description was published in Sprengel's book, ''Systema Vegetabilium''.
The species name refers to its perceived similarity to trees of the genus ''
Eugenia
''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...
''.
The term "stringybark" refers to the long, thin bark fibres that can be pulled off the tree trunk in strings.
Distribution and habitat
The thin-leaved stringybark is found across eastern New South Wales from
Wyndham north to the vicinity of
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
in southeastern Queensland with scattered populations further north as far as
Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...
.
It is a common tree of shale- and slate-derived, moderately fertile soils in lowlands and low hills. It grows in open forest with other trees such as grey box (''
E. moluccana''), forest red gum (''
E. tereticornis''), cabbage gum (''
E. amplifolia''), manna gum (''
E. viminalis''), woollybutt (''
E. longifolia''), narrow-leaved ironbark (''
E. crebra''), and argyle apple (''
E. cinerea''), spotted gum (''
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 ...
''), and with paperbark species such as prickly paperbark (''
Melaleuca styphelioides
''Melaleuca styphelioides'', known as the prickly-leaved paperbark or prickly paperbark, is a plant native to eastern Australia. It is a tree with spongy bark, prickly leaves and spikes of creamy-white flowers.
Description
It is a small to medi ...
'') and white feather honeymyrtle (''
M. decora'').
The thin-leaved stringybark is one of the key
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
species of the threatened
Cumberland Plain Woodlands.
Ecology
The thin-leaved stringybark regenerates by regrowing from epicormic buds after bushfire and can live for more than a hundred years.
[ The ]longhorn beetle
The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than ...
species '' Adrium artifex'' has been recorded from the thin-leaved stringybark.
Cultivation
''Eucalyptus eugenioides'' has been grown in California, where it grows best in coastal areas. In New South Wales, it is also known as "good kind stringybark" by beekeepers as the bees feeding on it are healthy and produce honey with a well-balanced amino-acid profile. It also provides the last crop of pollen before winter.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3059457
eugenioides
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Trees of Australia
Plants described in 1827