Botanical art
Prior names
Eucalyptus viminalis, partly
Eucalyptus gunnii var. rubida
Eucalyptus viminalis var. microcarpa
Eucalyptus stuartiana, partly
Eucalyptus rubida
Common names
Mountain White Gum
Candlebark 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. Dalrympleana named after Richard Dalrymple Hay (1861-1943), the first Commissioner of Forests in New South Wales.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern Mount Lofty ranges in South Australia, growing in well-watered areas on well-drained soils. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium region: Southern Lofty
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect to spreading tree to 40 m tall with smooth, pinkish-tan to pale grey to white bark throughout or rough on lower trunk up to a few metres. Junvenile leaves opposite, round, bluish. Adult leaves to 220 mm long and 35 mm wide, lanceolate to falcate, often wavy, glossy, green. Flowers axillary in groups of 3. Buds to 9 mm long and 6 mm wide, smooth, bud-cap cone-shaped, same length as the base. Flowers white appearing in autumn. Fruits are globular fruit to 8 mm long and 9 mm wide, smooth, disc ascending, valves 3 or 4 exserted above the rim. Seeds are dark brown to black ovoid seed to 2 mm long and 2 mm wide, covered in fine wrinkles. 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 | 16,400 (7.23 g) 16,400 (7.23 g) | 5 | 22-Nov-2005 | KHB9 Southern Lofty | 8-Aug-2006 | 100% | -18°C |
| BGA | 4,600 (2.73 g) | 10 | 26-Nov-2008 | TST676 Southern Lofty | 1-Jan-2012 | 96% | -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.