Rough-barked gimlet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rough-barked gimlet
Eucalyptus effusa near Balladonia
Scientific classification
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	effusa

The Eucalyptus effusa, often called the rough-barked gimlet, is a special type of mallee or small tree. It grows only in Western Australia, which means it is endemic there. This plant has thin, rough bark near the bottom of its trunk. Higher up, its bark is smooth. It has long, narrow adult leaves, and its flower buds grow in groups of seven. When it blooms, it has white flowers, and its fruits look like small cups or cones.

What is the Rough-Barked Gimlet?

The rough-barked gimlet is a small tree or a bush-like plant. It usually grows to be about 2 to 6 meters (6 to 20 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the plant regrow if the top part is damaged, for example, by a bushfire.

How to Spot a Rough-Barked Gimlet

This plant has bark that is rough and thin, like ribbons, on its main trunk. Sometimes, this rough bark can also be found on the lower branches. The bark higher up is smooth and brownish.

• Leaves: Young plants have leaves that are shaped like a spear, about 5.5 to 11.5 centimeters (2.2 to 4.5 inches) long. Adult leaves are long and narrow, usually glossy green on both sides. They are about 5 to 12.5 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) long.
• Flowers: The flower buds grow in groups of seven. They are found where the leaves meet the stem. The buds are oval or cylinder-shaped, about 6 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The flowers are white and mostly bloom from October to March.
• Fruit: After flowering, the plant produces woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like a cup or a cone and are about 4 to 6 millimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) long.

Naming the Rough-Barked Gimlet

The Eucalyptus effusa was first officially described in 1976 by a botanist named Ian Brooker. He wrote about it in a science journal called Nuytsia. The first sample of this plant, which helped scientists identify it, was collected in 1967 by George Chippendale. He found it between Norseman and Balladonia.

Later, in 1991, two other botanists, Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill, described two slightly different types, or subspecies, of Eucalyptus effusa:

• Eucalyptus effusa subsp. effusa: This is the one commonly known as the rough-barked gimlet. Its flower bud cap (called an operculum) is cone-shaped.
• Eucalyptus effusa subsp. exsul: This one is known as the desert gimlet. Its flower bud cap is more rounded, and its small branches have a slightly waxy, pale green-blue look (called glaucous).

E. effusa is one of nine true gimlet species. These gimlets all have their flower buds in groups of seven. What makes E. effusa special is that it's the only gimlet that grows as a mallee (a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree).

Where Does the Rough-Barked Gimlet Grow?

The rough-barked gimlet (Eucalyptus effusa subsp. effusa) is found in Western Australia. It grows on rocky hills and flat areas between the Fraser Range and Balladonia. You can find it in shallow sandy or loamy soils that are on top of greenstone or laterite rock.

The desert gimlet (Eucalyptus effusa subsp. exsul) is much rarer. It is only known from a small area near a place called Youanmi.

Is the Rough-Barked Gimlet Protected?

Good news! Both types of Eucalyptus effusa are considered "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife. This means they are not currently at risk of disappearing.

Images for kids

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  Flower buds of Eucalyptus effusa

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  Flowers and fruit of Eucalyptus effusa