Halls Creek white gum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Halls Creek white gum
Eucalyptus cupularis near Halls Creek
Scientific classification
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	cupularis

The Halls Creek white gum (Eucalyptus cupularis) is a type of small tree. It is also known by its local name, wawulinggi, in the Djaru language. This tree is special because it is only found in a certain part of northwestern Australia.

It has smooth, white bark that looks like it's covered in powder. Its adult leaves are shaped like a spear or are slightly curved. The tree's flower buds grow in groups of seven, and its flowers are white. When the flowers are gone, they leave behind fruit shaped like a cup or a cone.

What Does the Halls Creek White Gum Look Like?

The Halls Creek white gum usually grows to be about 5 to 9 meters tall. Sometimes, it can even reach 12 meters high. This tree has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps it regrow after things like bushfires.

Its bark is smooth and powdery white. When the bark is new, it can look pale pink. Young plants and new shoots growing from the base have square stems. Their leaves are egg-shaped, about 80 to 140 mm long and 40 to 80 mm wide.

Adult leaves are a dull green on both sides. They are shaped like a spear or are slightly curved. These leaves are about 100 to 230 mm long and 9 to 27 mm wide. They grow on a leaf stalk (called a petiole) that is 15 to 35 mm long.

The flower buds grow in groups of seven on a single flower stalk (called a peduncle) that is 10 to 20 mm long. The individual buds usually attach directly without a stalk. When the buds are ready, they are oval-shaped and have a dull, grayish-blue or green color. They are about 7.5 to 14 mm long and 4 to 9 mm wide. Each bud has a rounded or cone-shaped cap (called an operculum).

This tree flowers between October and November, and its flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped or cone-shaped capsule. It is about 5 to 12 mm long and 7 to 12 mm wide. The parts that open to release seeds stick out from the edge of the fruit.

The Halls Creek white gum looks a lot like the Kalumburu gum (E. herbertiana) and the mountain white gum (E. mooreana). They are also closely related.

Where Does Its Name Come From?

The Eucalyptus cupularis was first officially described in 1964. A botanist named Charles Austin Gardner found a sample of the tree. He found it on rocky hills west of Halls Creek. He published his description in a science journal called the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia.

The second part of its scientific name, cupularis, comes from a Latin word. Cupa means "cup," so cupularis means "little cup." This name refers to the cup-like shape of the tree's fruit.

Where Does It Grow?

The Halls Creek white gum grows in the Kimberley area of Western Australia. It also grows in the Northern Territory.

You can find it in open woodlands on stony hills. It also grows along watercourses. It prefers thin, rocky soils that are found over sandstone or granite rock.