Blackdown yellowjacket facts for kids

The Corymbia bunites, commonly known as the Blackdown yellowjacket, is a tall tree found only in Queensland, Australia. It gets its name "yellowjacket" from its rough, flaky bark that often has a yellowish color. This special tree has unique leaves, white flowers, and interesting barrel-shaped fruits.

About the Blackdown Yellowjacket Tree

The Blackdown yellowjacket is a tall tree, usually growing up to about 25 meters (that's like an 8-story building!). It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if there's a fire or damage.

Bark and Leaves

Its bark is soft, rough, and peels off in flakes, often looking yellowish or brownish. You can find this bark on both the main trunk and the branches.

Young Blackdown yellowjacket plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have leaves shaped like eggs or spearheads. These young leaves are about 8 to 16.5 centimeters long and 2 to 3.5 centimeters wide.

As the tree grows, its adult leaves become the same shade of green on both sides. They are shaped like spearheads or are slightly curved, measuring about 7 to 20 centimeters long and 1.2 to 3.5 centimeters wide. Each leaf narrows down to a stalk called a petiole, which is about 1 to 2.6 centimeters long.

Flowers and Fruit

The tree's flower buds grow in groups of seven at the ends of its branches. These groups are on a main stalk called a peduncle, which is about 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters long. Each small flower bud might sit directly on the peduncle (this is called sessile) or have a tiny stalk of its own, called a pedicel, up to 4 millimeters long.

When the buds are ready to open, they are oval-shaped, about 7 millimeters long and 5 millimeters wide. They have a cap-like cover called an operculum. The flowers themselves are white.

After the flowers, the tree produces woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like barrels, urns, or spheres. They are about 8 to 12 millimeters long and 7 to 11 millimeters wide. Inside the fruit, the parts that release the seeds (called valves) are tucked away.

How the Blackdown Yellowjacket Got Its Name

Scientists first officially described the Blackdown yellowjacket in 1991. Two botanists, Ian Brooker and Anthony Bean, gave it the name Eucalyptus bunites. They found the first samples of this tree on the Blackdown Tableland in 1972.

Later, in 1995, two other scientists, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, changed its name to Corymbia bunites.

The second part of its scientific name, bunites, comes from an ancient Greek word that means "hill dweller." This name perfectly describes where this tree likes to live!

Where Blackdown Yellowjackets Live

Corymbia bunites grows in shallow, sandy soil on sandstone hills and ridges. It has a disjunct distribution, which means it's found in separate, unconnected areas. You'll mainly find it on the Blackdown Tableland. However, it also grows in other places like the Expedition, Dawson, Bedourie, and Shotover Ranges.

Is It Endangered?

Good news! The Blackdown yellowjacket is currently classified as being of "least concern" by the Queensland Government under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. This means it's not considered to be at risk of disappearing right now.