Corymbia ferriticola

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pilbara ghost gum
Corymbia ferriticola.jpg
Corymbia ferriticola in the Gibson Desert
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Corymbia
Species:
C. ferriticola
Binomial name
Corymbia ferriticola
Synonyms[1]
  • Corymbia ferriticola (Brooker & Edgecombe) K.D.Hill & L.A.S.Johnson subsp. ferriticola
  • Corymbia ferriticola subsp. sitiens K.D.Hill & L.A.S.Johnson
  • Eucalyptus ferriticola Brooker & Edgecombe
flower buds
fruit

Corymbia ferriticola, commonly known as the Pilbara ghost gum,[2] is a species of tree or a mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and shortened spherical to cylindrical fruit.

Description[]

Corymbia ferriticola is a straggly tree or mallee that sometimes grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft), often much less, and forms a lignotuber. It has powdery, white to pink bark weathering to light brown, sometimes with rough, grey, tessellated bark at the base. Young plants and coppice regrowth have heart-shaped, egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves that are 35–80 mm (1.4–3.1 in) long and 13–37 mm (0.51–1.46 in) wide on a short petiole. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, lance-shaped, sometimes wavy, 40–100 mm (1.6–3.9 in) long and 6–22 mm (0.24–0.87 in) wide tapering to a petiole 3–12 mm (0.12–0.47 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils on a branched peduncle up to 2 mm (0.079 in) long, each branch of the peduncle with seven buds on pedicels 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long. Mature buds are pear-shaped, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide with a flattened operculum. Flowering has been observed in December and January and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody shortened spherical to cylindrical capsule 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long and 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) wide with the valves enclosed in the fruit.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming[]

Pilbara ghost gum was first formally described in 1986 by Ian Brooker and in the journal Nuytsia and was given the name Eucalyptus ferriticola.[6][7] In 1995 Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson changed the name to Corymbia ferriticola.[4][8]

Distribution and habitat[]

Corymbia ferriticola mainly grows on ironstone hills, in gorges and on steep slopes in the Pilbara region, with scattered populations near Mount Augustus, Meekatharra and the Gibson Desert.[3][2][5]

Conservation[]

This eucalypt is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[3]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Corymbia ellipsoidea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Corymbia ferriticola (Brooker & Edgecombe) K.D.Hill & L.A.S.Johnson, Telopea 6: 446 (1995)". Euclid. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Corymbia ferriticola". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. ^ a b Hill, Kenneth D.; Johnson, Lawrence A.S. (13 December 1995). "Systematic studies in the eucalypts. 7. A revision of the bloodwoods, genus Corymbia (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 6 (2–3): 446–448. doi:10.7751/telopea19953017.
  5. ^ a b Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus ferriticola". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Eucalyptus ferriticola". APNI. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. ^ Brooker, M. Ian H.; Edgecombe, Walter B. (1986). "Eucalyptus ferriticola and E. pilbarensis (Myrtaceae), two new species from the Pilbara region of Western Australia". Telopea. 3: 373–376. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Corymbia ferriticola". APNI. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
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