Mallee box facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mallee box |
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| Eucalyptus porosa on Mount Wudinna, Eyre Peninsula | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
porosa
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Eucalyptus porosa, often called the mallee box, Quorn mallee, or water mallee, is a special type of tree or shrub. It grows only in southern Australia. This plant has rough, strong bark on its main trunk and bigger branches. Its smaller branches have smooth, grey bark. It has long, narrow leaves, and its flower buds grow in groups of seven. When it flowers, it has white blooms. Its fruit looks like a small barrel or a round ball.
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What Does the Mallee Box Look Like?
The Mallee Box is usually a mallee. This means it's a shrub that grows many stems from a large, woody base underground. This base is called a lignotuber. It helps the plant regrow after fires or damage.
It can grow up to 5 m (16 ft) tall as a mallee. Sometimes, it can even grow into a tree, reaching 12–14 m (39–46 ft) high.
Bark and Leaves
The bark on the main trunk and larger stems is rough. It can be fibrous or flaky and is usually greyish. Higher up on the branches, the bark is smooth and can be whitish or grey.
Young Mallee Box plants have egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves. These leaves are about 55–90 mm (2.2–3.5 in) long and 12–22 mm (0.47–0.87 in) wide. Adult leaves are a shiny green on both sides. They are lance-shaped, measuring 50–120 mm (2.0–4.7 in) long and 8–23 mm (0.31–0.91 in) wide. Each leaf tapers down to a stalk called a petiole, which is 5–18 mm (0.20–0.71 in) long.
Flowers and Fruit
The flower buds of the Mallee Box grow in groups of seven. They are found where the leaves meet the stem, in an area called the axil. These groups of buds are on a short stalk called a peduncle, which is 2–12 mm (0.079–0.472 in) long. Each individual bud has its own tiny stalk, a pedicel, up to 7 mm (0.28 in) long.
Mature buds are oval-shaped, about 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide. They have a cap, called an operculum, which can be cone-shaped, rounded, or slightly beaked. The Mallee Box mainly flowers between October and March, and its flowers are white.
After flowering, the plant produces woody fruits. These fruits are called capsules and look like small barrels or flattened spheres. They are about 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide. When the fruit opens, the parts that release the seeds are called valves, and they are near the rim.
How the Mallee Box Got Its Name
The scientific name for this plant, Eucalyptus porosa, was first officially written down in 1856. This was done by a scientist named Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel. He used notes from another famous botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller.
The second part of the name, porosa, comes from a Latin word, porosus. This word means "pierced with small holes." It refers to tiny holes found in the anthers of the flower. Anthers are the parts of the flower that hold the pollen.
Where Does the Mallee Box Live?
The Mallee Box is found across a wide area in southern Australia. You can see it in the drier, or semi-arid, parts of South Australia. It also grows in north-western Victoria and south-western New South Wales.
This plant can live in many different places. It grows on rocky ridges and along coastal areas with limestone. It is also found in mallee shrubland and woodland areas.
