Ironbark mallee facts for kids

Eucalyptus indurata, often called ironbark or ironbark mallee, is a special type of tree or shrub that grows only in southern Western Australia. It's known for its rough, hard, dark bark on its trunk, which looks a bit like iron. Higher up, its bark is smooth and whitish. This plant has long, narrow leaves, and its flowers are usually white or pale yellow. After flowering, it produces small, round fruits.

Meet the Ironbark Mallee

The Ironbark Mallee is a tree or a type of shrub called a mallee. It usually grows to be about 3 to 10 meters (10 to 33 feet) tall. It also has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber, which helps it regrow after fires.

Its bark is quite unique. On the lower part of the trunk, it's rough, hard, and has deep grooves, looking blackish, much like the bark of other "ironbark" trees. Higher up, the bark is smooth and whitish.

Young plants and new shoots have leaves that are heart-shaped or egg-shaped. These leaves are about 30 to 100 millimeters (1.2 to 3.9 inches) long and 18 to 45 millimeters (0.7 to 1.8 inches) wide. They grow in opposite pairs directly on the stem, meaning they don't have a stalk.

As the plant gets older, its leaves change. Adult leaves are shiny green and shaped like a spear. They are about 63 to 105 millimeters (2.5 to 4.1 inches) long and 10 to 22 millimeters (0.4 to 0.9 inches) wide. Each adult leaf has a stalk, called a petiole, which is about 8 to 23 millimeters (0.3 to 0.9 inches) long.

The flower buds of the Ironbark Mallee grow in groups of seven. Each group is on a single stalk, called a peduncle, which is about 8 to 16 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long. Each individual bud also has its own small stalk, called a pedicel, about 2 to 7 millimeters (0.08 to 0.28 inches) long.

When the buds are ready to open, they are oval-shaped, about 10 to 18 millimeters (0.4 to 0.7 inches) long and 5 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) wide. They have a cap, called an operculum, that looks like a beak and is longer than the base of the flower.

This plant blooms between June and September. Its flowers are usually white or a pale yellow color. After the flowers, the plant produces fruit. The fruit is a woody, round capsule, about 5 to 10 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) long and 8 to 11 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) wide. The parts that release the seeds stick out above the rim of the fruit.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Ironbark Mallee, Eucalyptus indurata, was first officially described by two botanists, Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper. They wrote about it in 1993 in a science journal called Nuytsia. They studied a sample of the plant that was collected near a place called Dalyup in 1983.

The second part of its scientific name, indurata, comes from a Latin word meaning 'hard'. This name was chosen because of the plant's hard, rough bark.

Where Does the Ironbark Mallee Live?

The Ironbark Mallee is found in specific areas along the south coast of Western Australia. It grows on rolling plains and small hills. You can find it from places near Ravensthorpe all the way to Balladonia.

It lives in several different natural areas, including the Coolgardie, Esperance Plains, Mallee, and Nullarbor biogeographic regions. It prefers to grow in yellow sandy-clay soils.

Is the Ironbark Mallee Safe?

The good news is that the Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has classified this eucalypt as "not threatened." This means it's not currently at risk of disappearing.