Holleton mallee facts for kids

Eucalyptus tephroclada is a special type of plant called a mallee. It grows only in the southwest part of Western Australia. This plant has smooth bark and leaves shaped like a spear. Its flowers are pale lemon yellow and grow in hanging groups. After flowering, it produces fruit shaped like a barrel or a cup.

What Does It Look Like?

Eucalyptus tephroclada is a mallee that usually grows about 4 to 5 meters tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the plant regrow after a fire.

Its bark is smooth and can be reddish, brownish, or grey. The small branches are covered with white, powdery stuff. Young plants have leaves that are oval or spear-shaped. These leaves are about 30 to 90 mm long and 15 to 35 mm wide. They have a small stalk called a petiole.

The adult leaves are shiny green on both sides and are also spear-shaped. They are about 50 to 100 mm long and 9 to 15 mm wide. Their stalks are about 7 to 20 mm long.

The flower buds grow in groups of nine to thirteen. They hang down from a thin, flat stalk called a peduncle, which is about 12 to 40 mm long. Each bud has its own small stalk, a pedicel, about 5 to 11 mm long.

Mature buds are about 24 to 32 mm long and 5 to 8 mm wide. They have a horn-shaped cap, called an operculum. This cap is up to four times longer than the base of the flower.

The plant flowers from October to February. Its flowers are a pale lemony yellow color. After the flowers, the plant produces woody fruit. These fruits are shaped like a barrel or a cup. They are about 8 to 14 mm long and 6 to 10 mm wide.

How It Got Its Name

The Eucalyptus tephroclada was officially described in 1992. Two scientists, Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill, gave it its name. They wrote about it in a science journal called Telopea. They found the first samples of this plant near Bruce Rock in 1986.

The second part of its name, tephroclada, comes from ancient Greek words. "Tephros" means "ash-grey," and "clados" means "twig." This name refers to the powdery, ash-grey covering found on the plant's twigs.

Where Does It Grow?

This mallee grows in woodlands across different places in Western Australia. You can find it scattered between towns like Quairading, Southern Cross, Kukerin, and Hyden. It often grows among other mallee shrubs.

Is It Safe?

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 in danger of disappearing.