| Mottlecah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eucalyptus macrocarpa betweenBrookton andCorrigin | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eucalyptus |
| Species: | E. macrocarpa |
| Binomial name | |
| Eucalyptus macrocarpa | |
 | |
| E. macrocarpa, field distribution | |
Eucalyptus macrocarpa, commonly known asmottlecah,[2] is a species ofmallee that isendemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, usuallysessile, heart-shaped adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, large red flowers and broad conical fruit.
Eucalyptus macrocarpa is a mallee that typically grows to a height of 0.5–8 m (1 ft 8 in – 26 ft 3 in), has a sprawling or spreading habit, and forms alignotuber. It has smooth, shiny, brownish over salmon-pink bark. Itscrown is composed of juvenile leaves that are sessile, arranged in opposite pairs, heart-shaped with the bases wrapped around the stem,glaucous, 55–85 mm (2.2–3.3 in) long and 35–50 mm (1.4–2.0 in) wide. The flower buds are glaucous and are arranged singly in leaf axils on apeduncle 1–7 mm (0.039–0.276 in) long and apedicel up to 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 40–55 mm (1.6–2.2 in) long and 25–30 mm (0.98–1.18 in) wide with a beakedoperculum. Flowering occurs from August to January or April or June and the flowers are red, or rarely, creamy white. The fruit is a sessile, woody, broadly conicalcapsule 12–20 mm (0.47–0.79 in) long and 33–45 mm (1.3–1.8 in) wide with the valves protruding above the rim of the fruit.[3][4]
Eucalyptus macrocarpa was first formally described in 1842 byWilliam Jackson Hooker from a specimen collected byJames Drummond from the"guangan". The description was published in Hooker's book,Icones Plantarum.[5][6] InCurtis's Botanical Magazine, Hooker noted "[t]he colour of the flowers is due to the stamens alone; for petals (as in the genus) there are none, and the calyx falls off like the lid of a box". He also noted that "the bright red flowers nestled among the leaves, for a very striking object", and thatindigenous people called it "morral".[7]
Thespecific epithet is derived from theancient Greek wordsmakros (μακρός) meaning "long" andkarpos (καρπός) meaning "fruit".[8]Noongar peoples know the tree as mottlecar.[9][10]
In 1993,Ian Brooker andStephen Hopper described two subspecies and the names have been accepted by theAustralian Plant Census:
Mottlecah grows in sand in undulating heath betweenEneabba,Cataby andKulin. Subspecieselachantha has a more restricted distribution south-east ofGeraldton.[4][17]
Subspeciesmacrocarpa is classified as "not threatened",[2] but subspecieselachantha is classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western AustraliaDepartment of Parks and Wildlife,[2] meaning that is rare or near threatened.[13][18]
Eucalyptus macrocarpa is easily grown from seed, but requires good drainage and a dry, frost-free climate. It was raised from seed in 1842 atKew Gardens and flowered in 1847.[7][17]
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