Vokes Hill mallee facts for kids

The Vokes Hill mallee (its scientific name is Eucalyptus vokesensis) is a special type of eucalyptus tree. It only grows in South Australia, which means it is endemic to that area. This tree has rough bark on its lower stems and bigger branches. It also has leaves that are shaped like broad spears or eggs, and its flowers are pale yellow.

What Does the Vokes Hill Mallee Look Like?

The Vokes Hill mallee is a type of tree that usually grows up to 7 m (23 ft) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged.

Its bark is rough and fibrous, usually grey to grey-brown on the stems and larger branches. Higher up, the bark is smooth and can be tan, grey, or cream-coloured.

Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) often have stems that are square. Their leaves are egg-shaped, spear-shaped, or oval. These young leaves often have a bluish-white, waxy coating, which is called being glaucous.

Adult leaves are dull bluish-green or glaucous on both sides. They are broadly egg-shaped to broadly spear-shaped. These leaves are usually 70–110 mm (2.8–4.3 in) long and 20–54 mm (0.79–2.13 in) wide. They narrow down to a stalk called a petiole, which is 19–27 mm (0.75–1.06 in) long.

The tree's flower buds grow in groups of nine to thirteen. They are found where the leaves meet the stem, which is called the leaf axil. These groups of buds grow on a single stalk called a peduncle, which is 9–22 mm (0.35–0.87 in) long. Each individual bud has its own small stalk, a pedicel, about 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long.

When the buds are ready, they are oval-shaped, 12–20 mm (0.47–0.79 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide. They have a beak-shaped or horn-shaped cap called an operculum. This cap is longer than the base of the flower, which is called the floral cup.

The Vokes Hill mallee has been seen flowering from July to September. Its flowers are a pale yellow color. After flowering, the tree produces a woody fruit. This fruit is shaped like a cup or a barrel and is called a capsule. It is 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long and 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) wide. The parts that open to release seeds (called valves) are below the rim of the fruit. However, the fragile remains of the style (part of the flower's reproductive organ) stick out. The seeds inside are oval, dark brown to grey, and 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Vokes Hill mallee was first officially described in 1999. Two botanists, Dean Nicolle and Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson, gave it its formal scientific name, Eucalyptus vokesensis. They published their findings in a science journal called Telopea.

The first samples of this tree (called type specimens) were collected by Joseph Zvonko Weber. He found them about 130 km (81 mi) north of Cook, on the road leading to Vokes Hill.

The second part of the tree's scientific name, vokesensis, comes from the place where these first samples were found: Vokes Hill. This hill was named during an expedition in 1901 by an explorer named Richard Maurice. His cook and general helper on that trip was a person named W. Voke or Voakes.

Where Does It Live?

The Vokes Hill mallee is only found in a dry (or arid) part of western South Australia. It grows in the Great Victoria Desert. You can find it in deep red sandy soils, often on and around sand dunes and wide, flat areas between dunes called swales. It grows as part of open mallee communities, which are groups of these special eucalyptus trees.