Blue-crowned stringybark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-crowned stringybark |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
mackintii
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The blue-crowned stringybark (scientific name: Eucalyptus mackintii) is a special type of tree. It grows to a medium size. You can only find it in Victoria, Australia. This tree has rough, stringy bark. Its leaves are long and curved. It has white flowers that grow in groups. The fruit looks like a small cup.
What Does It Look Like?
The Eucalyptus mackintii tree can grow up to 30 meters tall. That's about as tall as a 10-story building! It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged, like after a bushfire.
Its bark is rough and stringy. It's usually greyish or brownish. This bark covers the trunk and even the smaller branches.
Young plants have oblong or egg-shaped leaves. These leaves are about 4.5 to 10.5 centimeters long. They are lighter green on their underside. As the tree grows, its adult leaves change. They become lance-shaped or curved. These adult leaves are about 8.5 to 23 centimeters long. They are slightly glossy and the same green color on both sides. Each leaf has a stalk called a petiole.
The tree's flower buds grow in groups of seven, nine, or eleven. They are found where the leaves meet the stem. Each group of buds grows on a main stalk called a peduncle. Individual buds have their own tiny stalks called pedicels. The mature buds are oval or diamond-shaped. They have a cone-shaped cap called an operculum.
This tree blooms in June. Its flowers are white. After flowering, the tree produces woody fruits. These fruits are cup-shaped or like half a sphere. They are about 5 to 7 millimeters long.
How It Got Its Name
The blue-crowned stringybark, Eucalyptus mackintii, was officially described in 1990. This was done by a scientist named Michael H. Kottek. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called Australian Systematic Botany.
The second part of its scientific name, mackintii, honors someone special. It was named after James Andrew McKinty. He was a forester who first realized that this tree was a unique species.
Where Does It Grow?
The blue-crowned stringybark mainly grows in the foothills of Victoria, Australia. You can find it in a specific area. This area is near Lakes Entrance and to the north and east of Orbost.
