''Eucalyptus sicilifolia'' is a species of small
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 accum ...
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 Queensland. It has dark ironbark on the trunk and branches, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus sicilifolia'' 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 rough, dark grey to black ironbark on the 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 repeate ...
regrowth have stems that are square in cross-section and lance-shaped leaves that are long and wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, narrow lance-shaped to curved, long and wide, with the base tapering to a
petiole long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of the branchlets and in leaf
axils on a
peduncle long, the individual buds on
pedicels
In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''.
Description
Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...
long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a conical to rounded
operculum. Flowering occurs from July to October and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped to barrel-shaped
capsule long and wide with the valved near rim level.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus sicilifolia'' was first formally described in 1991 by
Lawrie Johnson
Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, FAA, (26 June 1925 – 1 August 1997) known as Lawrie Johnson, was an Australian Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic botany, botanist. He worked at the Royal Botanic Garden ...
and
Ken Hill in the journal ''
Telopea'', from specimens collected on Little St Peter Hill, near
Springsure
Springsure is a town and a locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Emerald on the Gregory Highway. It is the southern terminus of the Gregory Highway and the northern terminus of the Dawson Highway. It ...
.
The
specific epithet (''sicilifolia'') is from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''sicilis'' meaning a "sickle" and ''folium'' meaning a "leaf", referring to the curved leaves.
Distribution and habitat
This eucalypt has a restricted distribution near the
type location where it grows in low woodland in rocky places.
Conservation status
This eucalyptus is classified as "vulnerable" 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 pro ...
''.
See also
*
List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15355715
Trees of Australia
sicilifolia
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1991