Eucalyptus baiophylla facts for kids

The Eucalyptus baiophylla is a special type of Eucalyptus tree. It's often called a mallee, which means it's a shrubby tree with many stems growing from the ground. This plant is found only in the far west of Western Australia. It has rough, stringy bark on all its branches. Its leaves are long and thin, and its flowers are white. The plant also produces fruit that looks like a small cone or barrel. It looks a bit like another eucalyptus, E. prominens, but E. baiophylla has rougher bark and smaller leaves.

What is Eucalyptus baiophylla?

Eucalyptus baiophylla is a mallee plant. It usually grows to be about 1 to 4 metres (3 to 13 feet) tall. This plant has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps it regrow after fires.

Bark and Leaves

The bark on all its stems is rough and loose, like fibres. Young plants and new shoots have dull bluish-green leaves. These leaves are long and narrow, up to 75 mm (3 inches) long and 6 mm (0.2 inches) wide. Adult leaves are also long and thin. They measure between 50 and 85 mm (2 to 3.3 inches) long and 4 to 7 mm (0.16 to 0.28 inches) wide. Both sides of the adult leaves are the same colour.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of Eucalyptus baiophylla grow in small groups. There are usually five or seven flowers in each group. They appear where the leaves meet the stem, called the leaf axil. Each group of flowers grows on a short stalk, about 3 to 6 mm (0.12 to 0.24 inches) long. Each individual flower also has a tiny stalk, about 0.5 to 2 mm (0.02 to 0.08 inches) long.

The flower buds are oval-shaped. They are about 7 to 9 mm (0.28 to 0.35 inches) long and 3.5 to 4.5 mm (0.14 to 0.18 inches) wide. The top part of the bud, called the operculum, is shaped like a dome or a cone. It's about the same length as the base of the flower, called the flower cup. When the flowers open, they are white. After flowering, the plant produces fruit. This fruit is a capsule that looks like a cone or a small barrel. It is 5 to 9 mm (0.2 to 0.35 inches) long and 6 to 10 mm (0.24 to 0.39 inches) wide. The parts that open to release seeds (called valves) do not stick out from the rim of the fruit.

How it was Named

Eucalyptus baiophylla was officially named in 2012. Two scientists, Dean Nicolle and Ian Brooker, described it. They found a sample of the plant near Exmouth. The name baiophylla comes from two Ancient Greek words. Baios means "little" and phyllon means "leaf." This name refers to the small leaves of this plant. Its leaves are smaller compared to similar eucalyptus species like E. zopherophloia and E. prominens.

Where it Grows

This eucalyptus plant grows in sandy soil that lies over limestone. You can often find it on small hills. It lives in the Giralia Range. This area is located between the Exmouth Gulf and Lake MacLeod in Western Australia. This region is known as the Carnarvon biogeographic region.

Conservation Status

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has classified Eucalyptus baiophylla as "not threatened." This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.