Prior names
Eucalyptus cladocalyx
Eucalyptus corynocalyx
Common names
Eyre Peninsula Sugar Gum
Sugar Gum
White Gum
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. Cladocalyx from the Greek 'clados' meaning branch and 'calyx'; alluding to the flowers that occurs on older branchlets below the leafy part of the crown.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and restricted to the southern Eyre Peninsula and a small populations near Cleve, growing in hilly terrain, in gullies and hilltops. Native. Uncommon in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Eyre Peninsula
NRM region: Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Single or several-stemmed tree to 18 m tall with smooth bark throughout, orange-yellow to tan, grey and cream. Adult leaves to 140 mm long and 40 mm wide, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate to almost ovate, glossy, dark-green above and paler below. Flowers axillary in umbels of 7-11 flowers. Buds to 10 mm long and 6 mm wide, cylindrical to urn-shaped, bud-cap hemisperical and rounded and much shorther than the bud-base. Flowers cream appearing in summer. This subspecies is distinguished from the other two subspecies by its distribution and combination of lower-growing, spreading and wide-branching habit, relatively short and often broad adult leaves and relatively large fruits. Fruits are woody, barrel to urn-shaped fruit to 15 mm long and 10 mm wide, smooth or ribbed, disc descending, valves 3 or 4 deeply enclosed below the rim. Seeds are grey-brown ovoid seed to 3 mm long and 2 mm wide. 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. 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 | 11,000 (13.63 g) | 19 | 26-Aug-2014 | DJD3005 Eyre Peninsula | 1-Jan-2016 | 100% | -18°C |
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.