''Eucalyptus gigantangion'', commonly known as Kakadu woollybutt,
is a species of tree that is
endemic to the
Northern Territory. It has soft, fibrous bark most of the trunk, smooth white bark above, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, orange-coloured flowers and ribbed, urn-shaped fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus gigantangion'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a
lignotuber. It has rough but soft, fibrous, orange-brown to red-brown, dark grey or black bark over most of the trunk with the upper trunk and branches covered with smooth white bark. Young plants and
coppice regrowth have broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves that are long and wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, dull green to blue-green but lighter on one side, narrow lance-shaped, long and wide, the base tapering to a
petiole long.
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 more or less sessile. Mature buds are spindle-shaped, long and wide with ribs on the sides, four small teeth at the tip, and a conical operculum. Flowering occurs from July to August and the flowers are orange. The fruit is a woody urn-shaped capsule long and wide with ribs on the sides and the valve enclosed below rim level.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus gigantangion'' was first formally described in 1991 by the botanists Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill in the journal '' Telopea''.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 ...
(''gigantangion'') "is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''gigas'', ''gigantos'', a giant and ''aggeion'' (usually transliterated as ''angion''), a vessel or receptacle, from the extremely large fruits".
Distribution and habitat
Kakadu woollybutt grows in savanna forests with '' Triodia'' and shrubs in the understorey. It is found near the upper edge of sandstone cliffs on the Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...
escarpment, mostly only in Kakadu National Park.
See also
* List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15401138
Trees of Australia
gigantangion
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of the Northern Territory
Plants described in 1991