Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. parvifructa facts for kids
The Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. parvifructa) is a special type of small tree or bush found only in a tiny part of Victoria, Australia. It's known for its smooth bark and shiny green leaves shaped like a spear. Its flowers are white, and its fruit looks like a small cup. This particular Snow Gum is smaller than other types of Eucalyptus pauciflora, with smaller leaves, flower buds, and fruit.
What it Looks Like
The Snow Gum subspecies parvifructa is usually a small tree or a multi-stemmed bush called a mallee. It can grow up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) tall. This plant has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber, which helps it regrow after fires.
Its bark is smooth and whitish. Young plants and new shoots have dull, grey-green leaves. These leaves are shaped like a spear, up to 110 millimeters (about 4.3 inches) long and 30 millimeters (about 1.2 inches) wide. They have waxy stalks up to 10 millimeters (about 0.4 inches) long.
Adult leaves are shiny green and also spear-shaped, sometimes a bit egg-shaped. They are up to 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) long and 20 millimeters (about 0.8 inches) wide. Their stalks can be up to 15 millimeters (about 0.6 inches) long.
The flower buds grow in groups of seven, sometimes nine, where the leaves meet the stem. They are on a thin, flat stalk up to 8 millimeters (about 0.3 inches) long. When the buds are ready, they look like clubs, about 9 millimeters (about 0.35 inches) long. They have a cone-shaped or rounded cap.
The flowers are white. After flowering, the plant produces woody, cup-shaped fruits. These fruits are 5 to 8 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.3 inches) long and 6 to 8 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.3 inches) wide. The parvifructa subspecies stands out because it's generally smaller, with smaller leaves, buds, and fruits compared to other Snow Gum types.
Naming the Snow Gum
This specific Snow Gum, Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. parvifructa, was officially named in 1994. It was described by a scientist named Kevin James Rule in a science journal called Muelleria. The first samples of the plant were collected in 1970 near the top of Mount William.
The name parvifructa comes from Latin. It means "small fruit," which makes sense because this subspecies has smaller fruits than other Snow Gums.
Where it Grows
You can only find this special Snow Gum subspecies in one place: the Mount William Range. This area is part of the Grampians National Park in Victoria, Australia. It grows at high altitudes, between 900 and 1100 meters (about 2,950 to 3,600 feet) above sea level.
