Moonbi apple box facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moonbi apple box |
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| Eucalyptus malacoxylon on the Moonbi Range | |
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Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
malacoxylon
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The Eucalyptus malacoxylon, often called Moonbi apple box or just apple box, is a special kind of tree. It's a small to medium-sized tree that grows only in a specific part of New South Wales, Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.
This tree has rough, stringy bark on its main trunk and bigger branches. But the thinner branches have smooth bark. Its adult leaves are shaped like a spear. The tree's flower buds grow in groups of seven, and when they bloom, they are white. Later, it produces fruit that looks like a cup, cone, or half-sphere.
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What the Moonbi Apple Box Looks Like
The Moonbi apple box tree usually grows to be about 15 to 20 meters (around 50 to 65 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it's damaged, like by a bushfire.
The bark on the trunk and larger branches is rough, grey, and can be stringy or flaky. On branches thinner than 50 to 80 millimeters (about 2 to 3 inches), the bark is smooth and dull grey.
Young Moonbi apple box plants have heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves. These leaves are about 40 to 70 mm long and 30 to 70 mm wide. As the tree gets older, its leaves change. Adult leaves are glossy green on both sides and are shaped like a spear or slightly curved. They can be quite long, from 90 to 300 mm (about 3.5 to 12 inches) and 20 to 40 mm (about 0.8 to 1.6 inches) wide. Each leaf narrows down to a stalk called a petiole, which is 20 to 50 mm long.
The tree's flower buds grow in groups in the leaf corners. Each group is on a stalk called a peduncle, which is 10 to 17 mm long. The individual buds sit on smaller stalks called pedicels, about 2 to 6 mm long. When the buds are ready to open, they look a bit dusty or pale bluish-green (this is called glaucous). They are diamond-shaped, about 6 mm long and 5 mm wide. Each bud has a cone-shaped cap called an operculum that falls off when the flower opens.
The flowers of the Moonbi apple box are white. After flowering, the tree produces woody fruit. This fruit is a capsule that can be cup-shaped, conical, or like a half-sphere. It's about 4 to 7 mm long and 7 to 10 mm wide. Inside, there are valves (parts that open to release seeds) that are usually level with the rim of the fruit or stick out a little.
How it Got its Name
The scientific name, Eucalyptus malacoxylon, was first officially described in 1934. This was done by a person named William Blakely in his book, A Key to the Eucalypts.
The second part of the name, malacoxylon, comes from two ancient Greek words. Malakos means "soft," and xylon means "wood." So, the name basically means "soft wood eucalyptus."
Where the Moonbi Apple Box Lives
The Moonbi apple box grows in open woodlands. These are areas with trees that are not too close together, allowing sunlight to reach the ground. It prefers sloping ground where the soil comes from granite rock.
You can only find this tree in a small area of New South Wales. It grows between the towns of Bendemeer, Nundle, and Niangala. This area is at the southern end of a region known as the Northern Tablelands.
Images for kids
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flowers and buds
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fruit
