Prior names
Eucalyptus ewartiana
Eucalyptus oldfieldii
Common names
Jinjulu
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. Glomerosa from the Latin 'glomerosus' meaning globular; referring to the spherical flower buds. Jinjulu is then Aboriginal name for the species.
Distribution and status
Found in the north-west corner of South Australia, growing on red sands in dune field and sandplains. Also found in Western Australia. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium region: North Western
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Multi-stemmed mallee to 7 m tall with rough, fribous to flaky, yellow-brown to dark grey bark below and smooth, pale pink to coppery bark above. Juvenile leaves ovate , waxy, dull, blue-green. Adult leaves to 90 mm long and 18 mm wide, elliptical to lanceolate, dull, grey-green, new growth waxy. Flowers in groups of 7-9, held erect. Buds to 5 mm long and 5 mm wide, globular, smooth, bud-cap round, about the smae length as the base. Flowers cream appearing sporadically depending on rainfall. Fruits are globular fruit to 11 mm long and 15 mm wide, smooth, disc brown and ascending, valves 3-5 exserted above the rim. Seeds are orange-brown narrowly pyramid-shaped seed to 5 mm long and 1 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. From one collection, the seed viability was average, at 75%. 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 | 6,300 (8.95 g) 6,300 (8.95 g) | 5 | 5-Dec-2003 | PJA59 North Western | 1-Sep-2004 | -18°C | |
BGA | 7,400 (8.99 g) | 25+ | 20-May-2014 | TST1198 North Western | 24-Mar-2015 | 75% | -18°C |