Creswick apple box facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Creswick apple box |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
|
| Species: |
corticosa
|
Eucalyptus corticosa, also known as the Creswick apple-box or Olinda box, is a special type of small tree. It grows only in a small area in southeastern New South Wales, Australia. This tree has rough, stringy bark on its trunk and branches. Its leaves are a dull green and shaped like a spear or slightly curved. When it flowers, it has oval-shaped buds that grow in groups of seven. Its fruit looks like a cup or half a sphere.
What it Looks Like
The Eucalyptus corticosa is a tree that usually grows to be about 8 to 20 meters (26 to 66 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged, like from a bushfire.
The bark on its trunk and bigger branches is rough, fibrous, and brownish. When the tree is young, or when new shoots grow from the base (called coppice regrowth), its leaves are arranged in pairs. They are dull green and narrow.
Adult leaves are dull green on both sides. They are shaped like a spear or are slightly curved. These leaves are about 70 to 150 millimeters (2.8 to 5.9 inches) long and 9 to 22 millimeters (0.35 to 0.87 inches) wide. They grow on a stalk called a petiole, which is 8 to 21 millimeters (0.31 to 0.83 inches) long.
The tree's flower buds grow in groups of seven. They are found where the leaf meets the stem, a spot called the leaf axil. These groups of buds are on a small stalk called a peduncle, which is 2 to 6 millimeters (0.079 to 0.236 inches) long. Each individual bud has its own tiny stalk, or pedicel, about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.079 to 0.118 inches) long.
When the buds are ready, they are oval to spindle-shaped and can be green or yellow. They are about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) long and 3 to 4 millimeters (0.12 to 0.16 inches) wide. The top part of the bud, called the operculum (like a cap), is shaped like a cone or is rounded. It is about the same length and width as the base of the flower, known as the floral cup.
This tree has been seen flowering in June, and its flowers are white. The fruit is a woody capsule that is shaped like a half-sphere, a bell, or a cup. It is 3 to 5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.20 inches) long and 3 to 6 millimeters (0.12 to 0.24 inches) wide. Each fruit sits on a pedicel that is 1 to 3 millimeters (0.039 to 0.118 inches) long.
How it Got its Name
The Eucalyptus corticosa was officially named in 1962 by a scientist named Lawrie Johnson. He wrote about it in a scientific publication called Contributions from the New South Wales Herbarium. He found the first sample of this tree near a place called Olinda in New South Wales.
The second part of its scientific name, corticosa, comes from a Latin word. It means "abounding in bark" or "full of bark," which makes sense because of its rough, fibrous bark.
Later, in 1988, another scientist named George Chippendale thought this species was the same as another tree, Eucalyptus aromaphloia. However, Ian Brooker later showed that it was a separate species. Now, the Australian Plant Census agrees that Eucalyptus corticosa is its own unique species.
Where it Lives
The Creswick apple-box tree grows in woodlands. It prefers shallow soil that is found over sandstone. So far, it has only been found in the Rylstone area of New South Wales.
