Large-fruited red mahogany facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Large-fruited red mahogany
Eucalyptus scias near Lovett Bay at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia
E. scias ssp. apoda fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	E. scias
Binomial name
Eucalyptus scias L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill
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The Large-fruited Red Mahogany, officially known as Eucalyptus scias, is a type of tree found only in the wet coastal parts of New South Wales, Australia. It can be a small, sprawling tree or grow to a medium size. You can spot it by its rough, stringy bark on its trunk and branches. Its adult leaves are shaped like a spear, and its flowers are white. The tree produces unique cup-shaped or bell-shaped fruits.

What Does the Large-fruited Red Mahogany Look Like?

The Eucalyptus scias is often a sprawling tree, but it can sometimes reach a height of about 20 meters (that's like a six-story building!). It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged, like from a bushfire.

Its bark is grey or brown and feels fibrous. It peels off in long strips with shallow grooves. Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have dull green leaves that are lighter underneath. These leaves are quite wide, about 60-100 mm long and 20-45 mm wide.

As the tree grows, its adult leaves become shiny green, but still lighter on the bottom. They are shaped like a spear or slightly curved, measuring 70-200 mm long and 20-60 mm wide. These leaves connect to the branch with a stalk called a petiole, which is about 15-27 mm long.

The flower buds grow in groups of three or seven where the leaves meet the stem (this spot is called a leaf axil). These groups are on a stalk called a peduncle, which is 5-23 mm long. Each individual bud might sit directly on the stalk (sessile) or have a tiny stem of its own (a pedicel) up to 8 mm long.

Mature buds are oval or diamond-shaped, 11-19 mm long and 7-13 mm wide. They have a pointy or beaked cap, known as an operculum, which protects the flower inside. This tree blooms in January and February, showing off its white flowers.

After flowering, the tree produces a woody fruit. This fruit is a capsule shaped like a cup, cone, or bell. It's about 6-10 mm long and 10-18 mm wide. You'll notice it has two ribs on its sides, and the parts that open to release seeds (called valves) stick out quite a bit.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Eucalyptus scias was officially named in 1990 by two botanists, Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill. They wrote about it in a science journal called Telopea. They studied samples collected by another botanist, Ian Brooker, in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park back in 1971.

The second part of its scientific name, scias, comes from an ancient Greek word skias. This word means "a shade." It refers to the wide, shady top part of the tree (its crown).

In the same journal, Johnson and Hill also described three different types, or subspecies, of Eucalyptus scias: apoda, callimastha, and scias. Two of these subspecies are officially recognized today:

• Eucalyptus scias subsp. apoda is often called the Tenterfield red mahogany. It's usually a less perfectly shaped tree and has flower buds that grow in groups of three.
• Eucalyptus scias subsp. scias is a medium-sized tree. Its flower buds grow in groups of seven.

Where Does It Grow?

The Large-fruited Red Mahogany grows in forests where the soil is moderately fertile.

The subspecies apoda is found on soils that come from granite rocks. You can find it in the mountain ranges east of Tenterfield.

The subspecies scias mainly grows in areas close to the coast. You can find it between Cessnock and Narooma in New South Wales.