Bell-fruited mallee ash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bell-fruited mallee ash |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Eucalyptus codonocarpa in the Gibraltar Range National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
|
| Species: |
codonocarpa
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The Bell-fruited mallee ash, also called the New England mallee ash, is a special flowering plant. Its scientific name is Eucalyptus codonocarpa. This plant is only found in eastern Australia, meaning it is endemic there.
It's a type of mallee, which is a small, bushy tree. It has smooth bark that can be grey, yellow, or brownish. Its adult leaves are shaped like a spear or slightly curved. The flowers are white and grow in small groups. After flowering, it produces bell-shaped fruits. You can find this unique plant growing in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales and close by areas in Queensland.
What it Looks Like
The Bell-fruited mallee ash is a slender mallee plant. It usually grows up to 6 meters (about 20 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 grey, yellow, or brownish. Sometimes, strips of old bark hang from the upper branches. Young plants have leaves arranged in opposite pairs. These leaves are long and narrow, about 6.5 to 14 cm long. They are glossy green.
Adult leaves are arranged one after another along the stem. They are also glossy green on both sides. These leaves are spear-shaped or slightly curved. They measure about 6.5 to 15 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide. Each leaf has a small stalk called a petiole, which is 0.5 to 2 cm long.
The flower buds grow in small groups of three or seven. Each group is on a short stalk called a peduncle, about 0.4 to 1 cm long. The individual buds have even smaller stalks, called pedicels, which are 0.1 to 0.4 cm long.
Mature buds are shaped like a club. They are about 0.5 to 0.6 cm long and 0.3 to 0.4 cm wide. The top part of the bud, called the operculum, is rounded and can be warty. This plant flowers from March to June, and its flowers are white.
After the flowers, the plant produces woody, bell-shaped fruits. These fruits are called capsules. They are about 0.5 to 0.8 cm long and 0.6 to 0.9 cm wide. The part that opens to release seeds is below the rim of the fruit.
How it Got its Name
The Bell-fruited mallee ash was first officially described in 1930. Two scientists, William Blakely and Ernest Norman McKie, gave it its scientific name. They published their description in a scientific journal.
The second part of its scientific name, codonocarpa, tells us something special. It comes from two ancient Greek words. "Kodon" means "bell," and "karpos" means "fruit." So, the name codonocarpa means "bell-fruited." This perfectly describes the shape of its fruit!
Where it Lives
The Bell-fruited mallee ash grows in shrubland areas. It prefers sandy soil found among granite rocks. You can find it north of Ebor in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It also grows in nearby parts of Queensland.
