Eucalyptus quadrans facts for kids

Eucalyptus quadrans is a special type of mallee or a small tree. It grows only in the southwest part of Western Australia. This plant is easy to spot because of its smooth, greyish bark. It also has narrow, spear-shaped leaves. Its flowers are white and grow in groups of seven. The fruit is shaped like a cup and is unique because it's square when you look at it from the side!

What Does Eucalyptus quadrans Look Like?

Eucalyptus quadrans is usually a mallee, which means it's a shrubby plant with many stems growing from the ground. It typically grows to about 5 meters (16 feet) tall. Sometimes, it can even grow into a small tree, reaching up to 12 meters (39 feet) high. This plant has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps it regrow after a fire.

Its bark is smooth and greyish. Sometimes, near the bottom of the trunk, the bark can be a bit rough or flaky. Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have long, narrow, grey-green leaves. These leaves are about 3 to 7 centimeters (1.2 to 2.8 inches) long and 2 to 6 millimeters (0.08 to 0.24 inches) wide.

The adult leaves are shiny dark green on both sides. They are shaped like a narrow spear, about 5.5 to 10.5 centimeters (2.2 to 4.1 inches) long and 5 to 15 millimeters (0.2 to 0.6 inches) wide. Each leaf has a stalk called a petiole that is 5 to 16 millimeters (0.2 to 0.6 inches) long.

Flowers and Fruit

The flower buds grow in groups of seven. They appear where the leaves join the stem, which is called a leaf axil. These groups of buds are on a single stalk called a peduncle, which is 4 to 13 millimeters (0.16 to 0.51 inches) long. Each individual bud has its own small stalk, or pedicel, about 2 to 5 millimeters (0.08 to 0.2 inches) long.

When the buds are ready, they are oval or pear-shaped. They are also square when you look at them from the side! They measure about 5 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.28 inches) long and 3 to 6 millimeters (0.12 to 0.24 inches) wide. Each bud has a cap called an operculum that is shaped like half a sphere.

Eucalyptus quadrans flowers are white and bloom from August to November. After flowering, the plant produces a woody, cup-shaped fruit. This fruit is a type of capsule and is also square in cross-section. It is about 6 to 9 millimeters (0.24 to 0.35 inches) long and 4 to 7 millimeters (0.16 to 0.28 inches) wide. The parts that open to release seeds (called valves) are hidden below the rim of the fruit.

How it Got its Name

The scientific name Eucalyptus quadrans was first officially described in 1993. Two botanists, Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper, gave it this name. They wrote about it in a science journal called Nuytsia. They studied a plant sample that Brooker collected near Truslove in 1984.

Where Does it Grow?

This special mallee grows in areas close to the coast in Western Australia. You can find it from Mount Ney, near Esperance, all the way to Lake Magenta, near Newdegate.

Is it Endangered?

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at this eucalypt. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.