Inland white mahogany facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Inland white mahogany |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
mediocris
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| Synonyms | |
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Eucalyptus irritans L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill |
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The Inland white mahogany (Eucalyptus mediocris) is a special type of eucalypt tree. It's found only in Queensland, a state in Australia. This tree is known for its strong, fibrous bark and its medium size.
Contents
What Does the Inland White Mahogany Look Like?
This tree can grow quite tall, reaching about 20 meters (around 65 feet) high. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow after a fire or damage.
Bark and Leaves
The bark of the Inland white mahogany is rough and fibrous. It's usually grey, yellowish-grey, or even orange-brown-grey. It peels off in flat strips, much like a stringybark tree.
Its adult leaves are glossy green and grow alternately along the branches. Each leaf is shaped like a spear (lanceolate) or slightly curved (falcate). They are usually 6 to 17 centimeters (about 2 to 7 inches) long and 1 to 2.5 centimeters (about 0.4 to 1 inch) wide.
Flowers and Fruit
This tree flowers between July and October. Its flowers grow in small groups (inflorescences) where the leaves meet the stem. Sometimes, they look like clusters at the end of a branch.
The flower buds are green to yellow and shaped like an egg (ovoid) or a reversed egg (obovoid). They are about 0.7 to 0.8 centimeters (0.3 inches) long and 0.3 to 0.4 centimeters (0.1 inches) wide. When they open, they reveal creamy-colored flowers.
After flowering, the tree produces fruit. These fruits are shaped like a flattened sphere (truncate-globose) or half a sphere (hemispherical). They are about 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long and 0.5 to 1.0 centimeter (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide. Inside, the fruits hold brown, pyramid-shaped seeds. These seeds are very tiny, only about 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters (0.06 to 0.1 inches) long.
How Was This Tree Named?
The Inland white mahogany was first officially described in 1992. Two botanists, Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson and Ken Hill, gave it its scientific name. They published their findings in a science journal called Telopea.
Meaning of the Name
The second part of its scientific name, mediocris, comes from a Latin word. It means "middling" or "medium-sized." This refers to the tree's average height.
Related Trees
Eucalyptus mediocris is part of a group of trees called the "white mahoganies." Other trees in this group include E. acmenoides, E. apothalassica, and E. carnea.
The first official sample of this tree, called the "type specimen," was collected by Ken Hill in 1996. He found it just north of Glenhaughton.
Where Does the Inland White Mahogany Grow?
This tree is native to inland Queensland, Australia. It grows in an area stretching from the Carnarvon Range in the northeast down to the Atherton Tableland in the south.
