Corymbia dallachiana commonly known as Dallachy's ghost gum[2] or Dallachy's gum,[3] is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of three, white flowers and cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.

Dallachy's ghost gum
In coastal Central Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Corymbia
Species:
C. dallachiana
Binomial name
Corymbia dallachiana
Synonyms[1]
  • Eucalyptus clavigera var. dallachiana (Benth.) Maiden
  • Eucalyptus tesselaris var. dallachiana Benth. orth. var.
  • Eucalyptus tesselaris var. dallachyana Domin orth. var.
  • Eucalyptus tessellaris var. dallachiana Benth.
  • Eucalyptus papuana auct. non F.Muell.
Buds and flowers

Description

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Corymbia dallachiana is a tree that typically grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft), sometimes more, and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth white to cream-coloured and pinkish bark that is shed in thin patches. Sometimes there is a short stocking of rough grey bark at the base of the trunk. Young plants and coppice regrowth have leathery elliptical, later egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves that are 100–260 mm (3.9–10.2 in) long, 35–150 mm (1.4–5.9 in) wide and petiolate. Adult leaves are the same shade of green on both sides, lance-shaped or curved, 93–270 mm (3.7–10.6 in) long and 9–34 mm (0.35–1.34 in) wide, tapering to a petiole 12–38 mm (0.47–1.50 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils on a branched peduncle up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long, each branch of the peduncle usually with three buds on pedicels 1–6 mm (0.04–0.24 in) long. Mature buds are pear-shaped, 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide with a rounded operculum. Flowering has been observed in November and December and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped capsule 9–13 mm (0.35–0.51 in) long and 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide with the valves enclosed in the fruit or at rim level.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

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Dallachy's ghost gum was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham, who gave it the name Eucalyptus tessellaris var. dallachiana and published the description in Flora Australiensis.[6][7] In 1995 Kenneth Hill and Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson raised the variety to species status as Corymbia dallachiana in the journal Telopea.[4][8] The specific epithet dallachiana honours John Dallachy.[2]

Distribution and habitat

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Corymbia dallachiana grows in grassy woodland on plains and on creek levees east of a line from Coen to Jericho and south from Bathurst Bay to Rockhampton and Emerald.[2][4][9]

Conservation status

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This eucalypt is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Corymbia dallachiana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Corymbia dallachiana". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Corymbia dallachiana". James Cook University. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c 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): 451–443. doi:10.7751/telopea19953017.
  5. ^ "Corymbia dallachiana Myrtaceae". Native Plants Queensland - Townsville Branch. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Eucalyptus tessellaris var. dallachiana". APNI. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  7. ^ Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1867). Flora Australiensis (Volume 3). London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 251. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Corymbia dallachiana". APNI. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  9. ^ Boland, DJ; Brooker, MIH; Chippendale, GM; Hall, N; Hyland, BPM; Johnston, RD; Kleinig, DA; McDonald, MW; Turner, JD (2006). Forest Trees of Australia. CSIRO PUBLISHING. p. 222. ISBN 9780643098947. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  10. ^ "Species profile -Corymbia dallachiana". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 7 February 2020.