Eucalyptus delegatensis
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox
Eucalyptus delegatensis, commonly known as alpine ash, gum-topped stringybark, white-top<ref name="CANBR">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web
}}</ref> and in Victoria as woollybutt,<ref>Second paragraph of Boland, Douglas J. (1985). "Taxonomic revision of Eucalyptus delegatensis R.T.Baker (Myrtaceae)". Australian Forest Research. 15: 173–181. Retrieved 28 May 2019.</ref> is a species of tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has a straight trunk with rough, fibrous to stringy bark on the lower half of the trunk, smooth white bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and fifteen, white flowers and barrel-shaped or hemispherical fruit.
Description
Eucalyptus delegatensis is a tree that typically grows to a height of Template:Cvt, sometimes to Template:Cvt, and forms a lignotuber. The bark is rough, grey to black, fibrous or stringy on the lower half of the trunk, smooth white to greyish above. Young plants and coppice regrowth have broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved, the same glossy green to bluish green on both sides, Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt wide on a petiole Template:Cvt long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of between seven and fifteen in leaf axils on an unbranched peduncle Template:Cvt long, the individual buds on a pedicel Template:Cvt long. Mature buds are oval to club-shaped, green to yellow or red, Template:Cvt long and wide with a conical or rounded operculum with a small point on the tip. Flowering occurs between December and March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody barrel-shaped to hemispherical capsule Template:Cvt long and wide with the valves near rim level or enclosed in the fruit.<ref name="CANBR" /><ref name="ABRS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="RBGS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="RBGV">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Taxonomy and naming
Eucalyptus delegatensis was first formally described in 1900 by Richard Thomas Baker from a specimen collected by William Baeuerlen, (previously known as Wilhelm Bäuerlen) on "Delegate Mountain". The description was published in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.<ref name=APNI>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="R.T.Baker">Template:Cite journal</ref> The specific epithet (delegatensis) refers to the type location.<ref name="CANBR" />
In 1985 Douglas John Boland described two subspecies and the names have been accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
- Eucalyptus delegatensis R.T.Baker subsp. delegatensis<ref name=APC1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> that has broadly lance-shaped juvenile leaves and is found in New South Wales and Victoria;
- Eucalyptus delegatensis subsp. tasmaniensis Boland<ref name=APC2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> that has more or less round juvenile leaves with a short "drip-tip" and only grows in Tasmania.<ref name="Boland">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Distribution and habitat
Alpine ash is widespread and often dominant in grassy or wet subalpine forest, in deep fertile soil, often on slopes, and commonly forms pure stands. In New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory it is found south from the Brindabella Range and in Victoria it occurs at altitudes between Template:Cvt east of Mount Macedon. Subspecies tasmaniensis is endemic to Tasmania.<ref name="RBGS" /><ref name="RBGV" />