Mount Misery mallee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Misery mallee |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
dolorosa
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The Mount Misery mallee (scientific name: Eucalyptus dolorosa) is a special type of eucalypt tree found only in Western Australia. It's also sometimes called the Dandaragan mallee. This tree is a "mallee," which means it has many stems growing from a big underground root. It has rough bark at the bottom of its trunk and smooth bark higher up. Its leaves are shaped like spears, and it grows white flowers in groups of seven. After the flowers, it produces cup-shaped fruits.
What Does It Look Like?
The Mount Misery mallee usually grows to be about 1.5 to 5 meters (about 5 to 16 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling underground called a lignotuber. This helps the plant regrow after a fire.
The bark on the lower part of the trunk (about 0.5 meters or 1.6 feet) is rough and flaky. It's grey to yellowish-brown. Higher up, the bark is smooth and pale grey-brown.
Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have leaves that are arranged one after another. These leaves are egg-shaped to spear-shaped, about 65 to 115 mm long and 25 to 40 mm wide. They have a small stem called a petiole.
Adult leaves are shiny green and also arranged one after another. They are spear-shaped or slightly curved, about 75 to 102 mm long and 14 to 23 mm wide. They have a pointed tip and a base that narrows down to a petiole, which is about 9 to 20 mm long.
The flower buds grow at the ends of the branches. They are arranged on a branching stem called a peduncle, which is 4 to 15 mm long. Each individual bud sits on a smaller stem called a pedicel, about 4 to 9 mm long.
Mature buds are oval-shaped, about 7 to 8 mm long and 5 to 6 mm wide. They have a cone-shaped cap called an operculum. This tree blooms between February and March, producing yellow flowers.
The fruit is a woody capsule (a type of seed pod) that is cup-shaped or almost round. It's about 10 to 12 mm long and 11 to 14 mm wide. Inside, there are brown, pyramid-shaped seeds, each about 2 to 4 mm long.
How It Got Its Name
The Mount Misery mallee was first officially described by two botanists, Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper, in 1993. They wrote about it in a science journal called Nuytsia.
The scientific name, dolorosa, comes from a Latin word meaning "painful" or "sad." This name was chosen because the plant is found in a very specific, small area.
This species is part of a larger group of Eucalyptus trees. These trees are all mallees, meaning they have multiple stems. They also have adult leaves that stand upright, buds with a single cap, and pyramid-shaped seeds.
Where Does It Live?
The Mount Misery mallee is found on a hillside in a small part of the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It grows near a town called Dandaragan. It prefers to grow in lateritic soils, which are reddish soils rich in iron and aluminum.
This plant lives in a "mallee heath" area, which is a type of shrubland. It grows among low bushes and large ironstone boulders. Other plants that grow alongside the Mount Misery mallee include different kinds of eucalypts, hakeas, and acacias.
Why Is It Endangered?
The Mount Misery mallee is listed as an endangered plant. This means it is at very high risk of disappearing forever. It is protected by a law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It's also listed as "Threatened Flora" by the Department of Environment and Conservation in Western Australia.
There are only about 25 individual Mount Misery mallee plants left. These plants are divided into eight small groups. They all grow in a tiny piece of natural bushland on private property. This area is on the top and sides of a hill called Mount Misery, which is east of Cataby in Western Australia. Protecting these few remaining plants is very important to keep the species from becoming extinct.
