''Eucalyptus longissima'' is a species of
mallee or small 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 the south-west of Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous or stringy bark on the trunk, smooth greyish brown bark above, glossy green, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in group of between seven and thirteen, white flowers and shortened spherical fruit.
Description
''Eucalyptus longissima'' is a mallee 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 smooth greyish brown bark, usually with rough, fibrous or stringy bark on most of the trunk. The adult leaves are lance-shaped, long, wide on a
petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of between seven and fifteen in leaf axils on an unbranched
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 narrow oval to spindle-shaped, long, wide with a conical to horn-shaped
operculum long. Flowering has been observed in most months and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, shortened spherical
capsule long and wide.
Taxonomy and naming
''Eucalyptus longissima'' was first formally described in 2005 by
Dean Nicolle
270px, Dean Nicolle and '' Eucalyptus deanei''
Dean Nicolle (born 1974), is an Australian botanist, arborist and ecologist. He is widely recognised as the leading authority on the genus '' Eucalyptus''.
Nicolle was born in Adelaide, South Austr ...
in ''
Australian Systematic Botany
''Australian Systematic Botany'' is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal published by CSIRO Publishing. It is devoted to publishing original research, and sometimes review articles, on topics related to systematic botany, such as bio ...
''.
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, bo ...
(''longissima'') is the
superlative
Comparison is a feature in the morphology or syntax of some languages whereby adjectives and adverbs are inflected to indicate the relative degree of the property they define exhibited by the word or phrase they modify or describe. In languages ...
form of the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...
word ''longus'', hence "longest", referring to the juvenile leaves, peduncles and pedicels.
Distribution and habitat
This eucalypt grows in sand or loam over limestone in the
Coolgardie,
Great Victoria Desert
The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia.
History
In 1875, British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles became the first European to cros ...
,
Murchison and
Yalgoo biogeographic regions of Western Australia.
Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "not threatened" in Western Australia 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 en ...
.
See also
*
List of ''Eucalyptus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15397031
Eucalypts of Western Australia
longissima
Myrtales of Australia
Flora of Victoria (state)
Plants described in 2005