Eucalyptus pyriformis
| Pear-fruited mallee, Dowerin Rose | |
|---|---|
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| Eucalyptus pyriformis | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eucalyptus |
| Species: | E. pyriformis
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| Binomial name | |
| Eucalyptus pyriformis | |
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| E. pyriformis, field distribution | |
Eucalyptus pyriformis, commonly known as pear-fruited mallee or Dowerin Rose, is a mallee that is endemic to Western Australia.
The plant is a small, straggly mallee typically grows to a height of 1.5 to 5 metres (5 to 16 ft)[1] and to a width of around 3 to 6 metres (10 to 20 ft).[2][3] The trunk can be multi-stemmed forming from a lignotuber but in cultivation it is more likely to be single stemmed. It has smooth, grey or salmon-pink coloured bark often sheeding in ribbons at the base. Juvenile leaves are stalked, alternate, ovate, to 9 x 5 cm. Adult leaves are stalked, broad-lanceolate to 9.5 x 3.2 cm, concolorous dull, grey to grey-green with a firm texture.[4] It blooms in mid winter to mid-spring between May and October producing inflorescences that have red, yellow or creamy white flowers.[1] The inflorescence can be up to 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in diameter across. They are usually clustered in twos or threes and provide abundant nectar and pollen as a food source for wildlife.[2] Fruit hangs on long stalks, is ribbed and funnel shaped to 4 x 5.5 cm.[4]
The species was first formally described by the botanist Nicolai Stepanovitch Turczaninow in 1849 in the work Decas sexta generum plantarum hucusque non descriptorum adjectis descriptionibus specierum nonnullarum as published in the Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des Naturalistes de Moscou. The name is often misapplied to Eucalyptus youngiana.[5]
The distribution is limited to the western part of the northern Western Australian wheatbelt, from north-west of Geraldton, south to Dowerin, usually on white sandplains and hillslopes.[1]
E. pyriformis is distinctive for its large, pendulous buds and spectacular coloured flowers.[4] It is sold commercially as tube stock or as seeds and is planted as an ornamental, as a light screen, habitat for birds and insects and as wind protection. It can tolerate drought and light frost, will grow in coastal or inland areas.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "Eucalyptus pyriformis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ a b "Pear–fruited Mallee Eucalyptus pyriformis" (PDF). Native Plants Notes. Kings Park & Botanic Garden. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Eucalyptus pyriformis Pear-Fruited Mallee". Plant Selector. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Brooker, I. & Kleinig, D., Eucalyptus, An illustrated guide to identification, Reed Books, Melbourne, 1996
- ^ "Eucalyptus pyriformis Turcz. (misapplied to Eucalyptus youngiana)". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
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