Hyden mallet facts for kids

The Eucalyptus alipes is a type of Eucalyptus tree. It's a special kind of tree called a "mallet." This means it's usually a single-stemmed tree without a big woody base. You can only find it in the south-west part of Western Australia. This tree has smooth bark that can be grey, light brown, or even bronze. Its leaves are long and narrow. The buds are oval-shaped, and the fruits look like cones.

What Does Eucalyptus alipes Look Like?

The Eucalyptus alipes is a mallet tree. It can grow up to about 8 meters (26 feet) tall. It doesn't have a lignotuber, which is a woody lump at the base of some eucalyptus trees that helps them regrow after a fire.

Its bark is smooth and can be grey, light brown, or even bronze in color.

Leaves and Flowers

Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have long, narrow leaves. These leaves are usually between 45 and 80 millimeters (1.8 to 3.1 inches) long. They are also 5 to 80 millimeters (0.2 to 3.1 inches) wide.

Adult leaves are also long and narrow, or shaped like a spear. They are typically 30 to 75 millimeters (1.2 to 3.0 inches) long. They are 4 to 11 millimeters (0.16 to 0.43 inches) wide. Each leaf has a small stalk called a petiole, which can be up to 8 millimeters (0.31 inches) long.

The flowers grow in groups of three. They appear where the leaves meet the stem, which is called a leaf axil. Each group of flowers is on a short stalk called a peduncle, which is about 0.5 to 2.5 millimeters long. Each individual flower has its own tiny stalk, called a pedicel, which can be up to 8 millimeters (0.31 inches) long and has two small wings on its sides.

The flower buds are oval or spindle-shaped. They are about 13 to 21 millimeters (0.51 to 0.83 inches) long and 5 to 7 millimeters (0.20 to 0.28 inches) wide when they are ready to open. The cap of the bud, called the operculum, is shaped like a cylinder or half-sphere. It can be twice as long as the flower cup, but it's narrower where it joins.

Eucalyptus alipes flowers are creamy white. They usually bloom from December or January to February.

Fruits

After flowering, the tree produces cone-shaped fruits. These fruits are a type of capsule. They are about 10 to 12 millimeters (0.39 to 0.47 inches) long and 7 to 8 millimeters (0.28 to 0.31 inches) wide. Each fruit has two small ridges along its sides.

How Was Eucalyptus alipes Named?

This eucalyptus tree was first officially described in 1992. Two botanists, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, gave it the name Eucalyptus suggrandis subspecies alipes.

Later, in 2005, two other botanists, Dean Nicolle and Ian Brooker, changed its status. They decided it was different enough to be its own species, so they named it Eucalyptus alipes.

The second part of its name, alipes, comes from a Latin word. It means "wing-footed." This name refers to the small, winged stalks (pedicels) that hold the individual flowers.

Where Does Eucalyptus alipes Grow?

The Eucalyptus alipes often grows in groups by itself. It likes to grow in salty soils and along salty drainage lines.

You can find this tree in Western Australia. It grows in the area between Hyden, Coolgardie, and Norseman. It also grows south to Lake King and west to Narembeen.

Is Eucalyptus alipes Endangered?

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at the status of Eucalyptus alipes. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means there are enough of these trees, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.