Broad-leaved box facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Broad-leaved box |
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| Eucalyptus oligantha near the Hann River | |
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Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
oligantha
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The Eucalyptus oligantha, often called the broad-leaved box, is a special tree. It grows naturally in the Kimberley area of Western Australia. You can also find it in some parts of the Northern Territory. This tree has rough, grey bark. Its wide, egg-shaped leaves usually fall off during the dry season. It has creamy yellow or whitish flowers that grow in small groups. The fruit looks like a cup or bell.
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What is the Broad-Leaved Box Tree Like?
The broad-leaved box tree usually grows to be about 12 to 15 meters tall. That's like a four-story building! It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if there's a fire.
Its trunk and branches have rough, flaky grey bark. When the tree is young, or when new shoots grow from the base (called coppice regrowth), its leaves are egg-shaped or round. These young leaves are about 5 to 13.5 centimeters long and 3.5 to 13.5 centimeters wide. They have a stalk, which is called a petiole.
The adult leaves are also broad and egg-shaped or round. They are usually the same green color on both sides. These leaves are quite big, about 6.5 to 19 centimeters long and 5 to 21.3 centimeters wide. Their stalks are about 1.8 to 9.8 centimeters long. These leaves usually fall off when the weather is dry.
The tree's flower buds grow mostly at the ends of its branches. They are found in groups of three or seven. These groups sit on a thin, branched stalk called a peduncle. The main stalk is about 3 to 15 millimeters long. Each individual flower bud has its own small stalk, called a pedicel, which is 3 to 8 millimeters long.
When the buds are ready to open, they are oval or pear-shaped. They are about 6 to 10 millimeters long and 4 to 6 millimeters wide. The top part of the bud, which covers the flower, is usually cone-shaped. This top part is called an operculum.
You can see these trees flowering in March, July, and September. Their flowers are a lovely creamy yellow or whitish color. After flowering, the tree produces a woody fruit. This fruit is a capsule, which is like a seed pod. It can be cup-shaped, cylindrical, bell-shaped, or cone-shaped. The fruit is about 6 to 11 millimeters long and 6 to 9 millimeters wide. The parts that open to release the seeds (called valves) can be flat with the rim or stick out a lot.
How Did the Broad-Leaved Box Get Its Name?
The scientific name for this tree, Eucalyptus oligantha, was first officially written down in 1843. It was described by a person named Johannes Conrad Schauer. He wrote about it in a book called Repertorium Botanices Systematicae.
The second part of the name, oligantha, comes from ancient Greek words. The word oligos means "few." The word -anthus means "-flowered." So, oligantha means "few-flowered," which describes how its flowers grow in small groups.
Where Does the Broad-Leaved Box Grow?
The broad-leaved box tree likes to grow on flat areas and gentle slopes. You can often find it close to rivers or streams. It grows in forests and woodlands in the Kimberley region. This area is between the towns of Wyndham and Derby in Western Australia. You can also find some groups of these trees in the Northern Territory, even on some islands off the coast.
Is the Broad-Leaved Box Tree Safe?
Good news! The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at this eucalypt. They have officially said that it is "not threatened." This means there are plenty of these trees, and they are not in danger of disappearing.
