Botanical art
Prior names
Eucalyptus websteriana
Eucalyptus orbifolia
Common names
Centralian Minniritchi Mallee
Round-leaf Mallee
Etymology
Eucalyptus from the Greek 'eu' meaning well and 'calyptos' meaning covered; alluding to the cap or lid which covers the stamens in the bud. Minniritchi is of Aboriginal origin and refers to the distinctive reddish longitudinally-peeling bark of the species.
Distribution and status
Found in the far north-west part of South Australia, growing on high ridges of the Musgrove Ranges, between boulders in open mallee shrubland. Also found in Western Australia and Northern Territory. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in the other states.
Herbarium region: North Western
NRM region: Alinytjara Wilurara
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Multi-stemmed mallee to 4 m tall with longitudinally peeling, reddish-brown bark revealing a greenish to yellowish-brown bark beneath. Juvenile leaves heart-shaped, waxy, dull, blue-green. Adult leaves to 46 mm long and 35 mm wide, on a long stalk, extended hear-shaped, waxy, dull, blue-green. Flowers axillary in groups of 7. Buds to 10 mm long and 8 mm wide, waxy, bud-cap rounded equal to or slightly longer than the base. Flowers pale creamy yellow appearing after rain. Fruits are oboconicl fruit to 10 mm long and 16 mm wide, disc ascending, valves 4 or 5 above the rim. Seeds are dark brown secteroid to ovoid seed to 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, with reticulate surface. Seed embryo type is folded.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and December. Collect mature fruits that are dark and hard (difficult to break with a finger nail), with the valves un-open any time of year. Leave the fruits in a breathable container in a dry room for one to two weeks. This allows the valves on the fruit to open and release the seeds. Separate the seeds by placing all the materials into a bucket and shaking it to dislodge the seeds. Pass the material through a sieve to separate the unwanted material. The finer material will contain both seeds (soft) and frass (hard) usually distinguishable from each other but can be very similar in shape and colour. With finer sieves, the seeds can be separated from the frass but this is not essential for storage or propagation. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 8,500 (8.7 g) 8,500 (8.7 g) | 100+ | 20-May-2014 | DJD2844 North Western | 24-Mar-2015 | 100% | -18°C |