Brumby sallee facts for kids

Eucalyptus forresterae, also known as brumby sallee, is a special type of eucalyptus plant. It's a "whipstick" mallee, which means it's a shrubby plant with many thin, upright stems. This plant is endemic, meaning it only grows naturally in a small area of Victoria, Australia.

Brumby sallee has smooth bark that can be greenish or whitish. Its adult leaves are shiny green and shaped like a spear or a narrow egg. Its flower buds grow in groups of 11 to 21, and the flowers themselves are white. After flowering, it produces fruit that looks like a small cone or a flattened cup.

What it looks like

Eucalyptus forresterae is a shrubby plant that usually grows between 2 and 5 meters (about 6.5 to 16 feet) tall. It has smooth bark that is light grey to whitish and peels off in strips.

Leaves

• Young plants: The leaves on young plants and new shoots grow in opposite pairs. They are egg-shaped or heart-shaped, about 20-40 mm (0.8-1.6 inches) long and wide. The underside of these leaves is a lighter shade of green.
• Adult plants: The leaves on older plants grow one after another, not in pairs. They are shiny green on both sides and shaped like a spear or a narrow egg. These leaves are about 40-60 mm (1.6-2.4 inches) long and 12-20 mm (0.5-0.8 inches) wide. Each leaf has a short stem called a petiole, which is about 2-6 mm (0.08-0.24 inches) long.

Flowers and Fruit

The flower buds grow where the leaves meet the stem (called leaf axils). They appear in groups of 11 to 21 on a short stalk called a peduncle, which is only 1-3 mm (0.04-0.12 inches) long. The individual buds don't have their own stalks; they are sessile, meaning they attach directly to the main stalk.

Mature buds are shaped like a small football (spindle-shaped), about 4-6 mm (0.16-0.24 inches) long and 2 mm (0.08 inches) wide. They have a horn-shaped cap called an operculum, which is about the same length as the base of the flower (the floral cup). Brumby sallee flowers in summer, and its flowers are white.

The fruit is a woody capsule that is also sessile (without a stalk). It's shaped like a cup or a flattened hemisphere, about 4 mm (0.16 inches) long and wide. The parts that open to release the seeds (called valves) are located below the rim of the fruit.

Naming and Discovery

Eucalyptus forresterae was first officially described in 2011 by two scientists, Kevin Rule and William Molyneux. They published their description in a science journal called Muelleria. The plant's specific epithet (the second part of its scientific name, forresterae) honors Sue Forrester. She helped William Molyneux collect the first samples of this plant.

Where it lives

Brumby sallee is only found in a few rocky places in the Cobberas Range in Victoria, Australia. It grows at high altitudes, usually above 1,200 meters (about 3,900 feet).

Protecting this plant

This species is considered "endangered" by the Victorian Government's Department of Sustainability and Environment. This means there are very few of these plants left, and they are at high risk of disappearing if we don't protect them.