Green-leaved red mallee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green-leaved red mallee |
|
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eucalyptus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
E. s. subsp. viridans
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Eucalyptus socialis subsp. viridans D.Nicolle
|
|
The green-leaved red mallee, also known as Eucalyptus socialis subsp. viridans, is a special type of mallee tree. It only grows naturally in south-eastern Australia. This plant usually has rough bark at the bottom of its trunk and smooth bark higher up. Its adult leaves are shaped like a spear, and its flower buds grow in groups of seven to eleven. The flowers are a pale creamy yellow, and the fruit looks like a barrel, an urn, or a sphere.
What Does the Green-Leaved Red Mallee Look Like?
The green-leaved red mallee is a type of mallee tree. It usually grows to be about 2.5–8 m (8 ft 2 in – 26 ft 3 in) tall. This plant has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the plant regrow if there's a fire or damage.
The bark at the bottom of the trunk is often rough and flaky. Higher up, the bark is smooth and can be tan or grey. The adult leaves are a dull or shiny green on both sides. They are narrow and shaped like a spear, measuring 75–132 mm (3.0–5.2 in) long and 15–28 mm (0.59–1.10 in) wide. These leaves have a stalk, which is called a petiole.
The flower buds grow in the leaf axils, which are the spots where the leaves join the stem. They usually appear in groups of seven to eleven. These groups of buds are on a stalk called a peduncle, which is 4–18 mm (0.16–0.71 in) long. Each individual bud has its own small stalk, called a pedicel, measuring 2–8.5 mm (0.079–0.335 in) long.
When the buds are ready to open, they are smooth and measure 9–18 mm (0.35–0.71 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide. They have a horn-shaped cap, called an operculum, which is longer than the base of the flower, called the floral cup. The flowers themselves are a pale creamy yellow. After the flowers, the plant produces a woody fruit. This fruit is a capsule that can be barrel-shaped, urn-shaped, or spherical. It is 9–18 mm (0.35–0.71 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The green-leaved red mallee was officially described for the first time in 2005. This happened when Dean Nicolle wrote about it in a scientific journal called Australian Systematic Botany. He studied plant samples collected near Minlaton in 1977.
The second part of its scientific name, viridans, comes from the Latin word viridis. This word means "green," and it refers to the green color of the leaves of this particular type of mallee.
Where Does It Grow?
The green-leaved red mallee grows in areas called mallee habitats. It prefers soils that are on top of limestone. You can often find it growing alongside other eucalypt trees. Some of these include E. calcareana, E. gracilis, and E. phenax.
This mallee is found on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas in South Australia. It also grows on Kangaroo Island and as far east as Ngarkat in South Australia. There have also been a few sightings of this plant in the far western parts of Victoria.
