Brown mallee facts for kids

Eucalyptus thamnoides is a special type of mallee tree. It's found only in the southwestern part of Western Australia. This plant has smooth bark, long, thin adult leaves, and its flower buds grow in groups of seven. When it blooms, it has cream-coloured or pale yellow flowers. Its fruits are shaped like a cup, cone, or bell.

What Does Eucalyptus thamnoides Look Like?

Eucalyptus thamnoides is a mallee, which means it's a type of eucalyptus that grows like a shrub with many stems. These stems grow from a woody base called a lignotuber, which helps the plant survive fires. It usually grows to be about 1.5–6 m (4 ft 11 in – 19 ft 8 in) (about 5 to 20 feet) tall.

Its bark is smooth and a light grey colour. Young plants and new shoots have dull green or greyish leaves that are shaped like a spear. These leaves are about 40–105 mm (1.6–4.1 in) long and 12–30 mm (0.47–1.18 in) wide.

The adult leaves are shiny green on both sides and are also spear-shaped. They are about 50–105 mm (2.0–4.1 in) long and 8–20 mm (0.31–0.79 in) wide. Each leaf has a short stalk called a petiole.

The flower buds grow in groups of seven where the leaves meet the stem (these spots are called axils). Each group of buds sits on a flat stalk, called a peduncle, which is about 8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in) long. The individual buds have tiny stalks, called pedicels, about 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long.

When the buds are ready, they are shaped like a long oval, about 13–16 mm (0.51–0.63 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide. They have a horn-shaped cap, called an operculum, which is often twice as long as the base of the flower.

This plant usually flowers from March to July or in November. Its flowers are a lovely cream colour or pale yellow. After the flowers, the plant produces woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like a cup, cone, or bell and are about 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long and 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) wide.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Eucalyptus thamnoides was officially described in 2002 by two scientists, Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper. They wrote about it in a science journal called Nuytsia. They found the first samples of this plant near Needilup in 1988.

The second part of its scientific name, thamnoides, comes from ancient Greek words. Thamnos means "a bush or shrub," and -oides means "like." So, thamnoides means "bush-like" or "shrub-like." This name was chosen because this plant grows like a bush, which is different from another similar plant called E. astringens.

In the same journal, Brooker and Hopper also described two types of this plant, called subspecies. Both names are now accepted by plant experts in Australia:

• Eucalyptus thamnoides subsp. megista: This type has larger flower buds and fruits. Its fruits can be up to 12 mm (0.47 in) long and 10 mm (0.39 in) wide.
• Eucalyptus thamnoides subsp. thamnoides: This type has fruits that are about 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) wide.

Where Does It Grow?

The two subspecies of Eucalyptus thamnoides grow in slightly different places in Western Australia.

Subspecies megista grows on flat areas and small hills. You can find it between Quairading, the Stirling Range, Cranbrook, and Hopetoun.

Subspecies thamnoides grows on plains, rocky hills, and near rivers. It can be found from near Gnowangerup to the Stirling Range National Park and Jerramungup.

Is It Endangered?

Good news! The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that Eucalyptus thamnoides and both of its subspecies are "not threatened." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing.