Eucalyptus gillenii

Eucalyptus gillenii, commonly known as the Mallee red gum,^[1] Mount Lindsay mallee, Mount Lindsay gum or Mount Gillen mallee^[2] is a mallee that is native to inland Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.^[3]

The multi-stemmed mallee typically grown to a height of 3 to 7 metres (10 to 23 ft) and a width of 2 to 6 metres (7 to 20 ft). It is a hardy grower and is both frost and drought tolerance^[1] The juvenile leaves are dull, green to blue-green in colour with a lanceolate to falcate shape. These later become adult leaves that are dull, green to blue-green are lanceolate to falcate with a blade that is 180 millimetres (7 in) in length and 28 mm (1.10 in) wide and still lanceolate to falcate. It forms creamy white axillary flowers that are held erect in groups of seven to nine. These are followed by globular fruit that is 10 mm (0.39 in) long and 12 mm (0.47 in) wide. These contain dark brown seeds with a pyramidal shape that are 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long and 0.8 mm (0.031 in) wide.^[4]

E. gillenii grows well in rocky soils^[3] and is well suited to arid locations. It is distributed from the far west of the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia to the far north-west corner of South Australia, on Mount Wooltarlinna and Mount Lindsay, growing in crevices on and at the base of rock domes in water run-off areas. It's range then extend north into the southern part of the Northern Territory. It is rare in South Australia and Western Australia but common in Northern Territory.^[4]

The tree was first described in 1926 by the botanists Ewatt and Kerr in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria from samples collected near Mount Gillen by Ewatt in 1924.^[5] It is named for Francis James Gillen who was an anthropologist, ethnologist and the first postmaster at Alice Springs. Mount Gillen in the MacDonnell Ranges, where the type specimen was collected from, was also named for the same man.^[4]

See also

• List of Eucalyptus species

References