Mount Abrupt stringybark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Abrupt stringybark |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eucalyptus
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| Species: |
verrucata
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The Eucalyptus verrucata, also known as the Mount Abrupt stringybark, is a special kind of shrub or small tree. It is found only in one place: the Grampians National Park in Victoria, Australia. This plant has smooth bark, but older trees might have rough bark near their base. Its adult leaves are shaped like eggs, and its flower buds usually grow in groups of three where the leaves meet the stem. It has white flowers, and its fruit looks like a cup or half a ball.
What Does It Look Like?
The Mount Abrupt stringybark is usually a shrub or a small tree, growing up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber, which helps it regrow after fires.
Its bark is smooth and can be greyish or brownish. On older plants, the bark at the bottom of the trunk might be rough and stringy.
Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have leaves that are directly attached to the stem (this is called sessile). These leaves are broadly egg-shaped, oblong, or even heart-shaped. They are about 60 to 108 mm long and 40 to 83 mm wide.
Adult leaves are shiny green on both sides and can be egg-shaped, elliptical, or round. They are about 55 to 120 mm long and 25 to 90 mm wide. These leaves grow on a stalk called a petiole, which is about 12 to 28 mm long.
The flower buds are quite interesting! They are usually found alone or in groups of three or seven. They grow on a short stalk called a peduncle, which is only up to 2 mm long. The individual buds don't have their own stalks.
When the buds are ready, they look very warty and are oblong to spherical in shape. They are about 10 to 18 mm long and 8 to 14 mm wide. The cap that covers the bud (called an operculum) is rounded or flattened.
This plant has been seen flowering in July and September, and its flowers are white. After flowering, it produces a woody fruit called a capsule. This fruit is cup-shaped or hemispherical, about 12 to 20 mm long and 16 to 32 mm wide. The parts that open to release the seeds (called valves) stick out quite a bit.
How It Got Its Name
The Eucalyptus verrucata was officially described in 1995 by two scientists, Pauline Y. Ladiges and Trevor Paul Whiffin. They wrote about it in a scientific journal called Australian Systematic Botany. The specimens they studied were collected in 1979 from the south-east side of Mount Abrupt, about 400 meters high.
The second part of its scientific name, verrucata, comes from a Latin word meaning "warty". This name was chosen because of the very warty look of its flower buds.
Where It Lives
The Mount Abrupt stringybark grows in rocky areas. You can find it on the southern end of the Serra Range, which is part of the beautiful Grampians National Park in Victoria, Australia.
