Eucalyptus horistes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eucalyptus horistes |
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| Eucalyptus horistes near Gutha | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
horistes
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Eucalyptus horistes is a special type of mallee or small tree. It is found only in Western Australia. This plant has smooth grey bark, but sometimes its trunk has rough, tough bark at the bottom. Its adult leaves are shaped like a spear or an oval.
The Eucalyptus horistes tree produces flower buds in groups of seven to thirteen. When these buds open, they show creamy white flowers. After flowering, it grows short, cylinder-shaped or round fruits.
What It Looks Like
Eucalyptus horistes is usually a mallee, which means it's a shrubby tree with many stems coming from the ground. It can also be a small tree. It typically grows to be about 8 to 12 meters tall. This plant has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps it regrow after fires.
The bark on this eucalypt is usually smooth and grey. However, sometimes the lower part of the trunk has rough, strong, fibrous bark.
Young plants and new shoots have leaves that are directly attached to the stem (called sessile). These leaves are heart-shaped, round, or oval. They are about 10 to 45 millimeters long and 8 to 30 millimeters wide.
Adult leaves are shiny green. They are narrow and shaped like a spear or an oval. These leaves are 45 to 95 millimeters long and 4 to 15 millimeters wide. They grow on a small stalk called a petiole, which is 4 to 15 millimeters long.
The flower buds grow in the leaf axils, which are the spots where leaves join the stem. They appear in groups of seven, nine, eleven, or thirteen. These groups are on a single stem called a peduncle, which is 2 to 13 millimeters long. Each individual bud has its own tiny stalk, called a pedicel, which is 1 to 4 millimeters long.
When the buds are ready to open, they are oval or spindle-shaped. They measure 5 to 10 millimeters long and 2 to 4 millimeters wide. Each bud has a beak-shaped cap called an operculum.
Eucalyptus horistes flowers bloom from November to December or January. The flowers are a lovely creamy white color. After the flowers, the plant produces a woody fruit. This fruit is a short, cylinder-shaped or round capsule. It is 3 to 7 millimeters long and 4 to 6 millimeters wide. The parts that open to release seeds (called valves) are almost level with the rim of the fruit.
How It Got Its Name
Eucalyptus horistes was officially named in 1988. Two botanists, Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill, gave it this name. They described it from a plant sample found near Binnu. Their description was published in a book series called Flora of Australia.
The second part of its name, horistes, comes from an ancient Greek word. This word means "one who marks boundaries." This name was chosen because this species grows at the northern edge of the South-west Botanical Province. It acts like a natural marker for this area.
Where It Grows
This eucalypt tree grows in mallee shrubland areas. It prefers sandy-loam soils that are found over a type of rock called laterite. You can find it on flat sandy areas, sand dunes, and even along the sides of roads.
Eucalyptus horistes is found in several regions of Western Australia. These include the Mid West, the Wheatbelt, the Great Southern, and the Goldfields-Esperance regions.
Is It Safe?
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Eucalyptus horistes. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently in danger of disappearing.
Images for kids
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flower buds
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fruit
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juvenile leaves
See also
In Spanish: Eucalyptus horistes para niños
