Barlee box facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barlee box |
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| Eucalyptus lucasii near Wiluna | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
lucasii
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The Eucalyptus lucasii, also known as Barlee box, is a type of mallee plant. A mallee is a tree or shrub that grows many stems from a special woody base. This plant is endemic to central Western Australia, meaning it's found only there. It usually has smooth bark, but sometimes the bark near the bottom can be rough. Its adult leaves are shaped like wide spears. The flower buds often grow in groups of seven to eleven on a branched stalk called a peduncle. When it flowers, it has creamy white blossoms. Later, it produces fruit that looks like a cup, cylinder, or cone.
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What Does Barlee Box Look Like?
The Barlee box is a mallee that typically grows to be about 2 to 10 meters (6 to 33 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the plant regrow after fires. Its bark is smooth and can be brown or grayish. Sometimes, near the bottom of the trunk, the bark can be rough or flaky.
Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have dull, grayish-green leaves. These leaves are egg-shaped, about 4.5 to 10.5 centimeters (1.8 to 4.1 inches) long and 2 to 5.5 centimeters (0.8 to 2.2 inches) wide. Adult leaves grow in an alternating pattern along the stem. They are the same shade of green on both sides and are broadly spear-shaped. These leaves are usually 8 to 15 centimeters (3.1 to 5.9 inches) long and 1 to 3 centimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) wide. They narrow down to a stalk called a petiole, which is 1 to 3 centimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long.
The flower buds usually grow in groups of seven, nine, or eleven. They can be found on an unbranched stalk (peduncle) where the leaves meet the stem, or on a branched peduncle at the ends of the branches. The main stalk (peduncle) is 4 to 18 millimeters (0.16 to 0.71 inches) long. Each individual bud sits on a smaller stalk called a pedicel, which is 1 to 8 millimeters (0.04 to 0.31 inches) long.
Mature buds are oval-shaped, about 3 to 6 millimeters (0.12 to 0.24 inches) long and 2 to 4 millimeters (0.08 to 0.16 inches) wide. They have a cap-like structure called an operculum that can be cone-shaped or rounded. The Barlee box flowers between May and September, and its flowers are creamy white. After flowering, the fruit develops into a woody capsule. This capsule is cup-shaped, cylindrical, or conical, measuring about 5 to 8 millimeters (0.20 to 0.31 inches) long and 3 to 6 millimeters (0.12 to 0.24 inches) wide. The valves (parts that open to release seeds) are usually near the rim.
How Barlee Box Got Its Name
The Eucalyptus lucasii was first officially described by a botanist named William Blakely in 1934. He wrote about it in his book, A Key to the Eucalypts. The very first sample of this plant, called the type specimen, was collected in 1919 near Lake Barlee. It was collected by Charles Fitzgerald Fraser for W.C. Grasby. The second part of the scientific name, lucasii, was chosen to honor Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas.
Where Barlee Box Grows
The Barlee box grows in sandy soils, often in areas with many shrubs. It can be found across a large part of central Western Australia. You can see it in the northern goldfields, from places like Leonora, and in the western part of the Great Victoria Desert. It also grows north towards the Pilbara region.
Is Barlee Box Endangered?
Good news! The Barlee box is currently classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife. This means it is not considered at risk of disappearing.
