Eucalyptus dunnii, commonly known as Dunn's white gum or simply white gum,[2] is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough bark near the base, smooth white to cream-coloured bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped, conical or hemispherical fruit.

Dunn's white gum
Eucalyptus dunnii in the ANBG
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. dunnii
Binomial name
Eucalyptus dunnii
flower buds
fruit

Description

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Eucalyptus dunnii is a tree that typically grows to a height of 50 m (160 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, greyish, corky, fibrous or flaky bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth white or grey bark above that is shed in short ribbons. Young plants and coppice regrowth have egg-shaped to elliptical or almost round leaves that are 25–150 mm (0.98–5.91 in) long and 18–110 mm (0.71–4.33 in) wide, arranged in opposite pairs. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, lance-shaped to curved, the same glossy green on both sides, 80–300 mm (3.1–11.8 in) long and 15–40 mm (0.59–1.57 in) wide on a petiole 14–45 mm (0.55–1.77 in) wide. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven in leaf axils on a flattened, unbranched peduncle 7–16 mm (0.28–0.63 in) long, the individual buds on a pedicel 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide with a beaked, conical or rounded operculum. The flowers are white and the fruit is a woody cup-shaped, conical or hemispherical capsule 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) wide with the valves reaching past the level of the rim.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

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Eucalyptus dunnii was first described in 1905 by Joseph Maiden in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from a specimen collected by William Dunn at "Acacia Creek, Macpherson Range".[5][6][7] The specific epithet (dunnii) honours the collector of the type specimen.[2][7]

Distribution and habitat

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Dunn's white gum has a scattered and restricted distribution in wet forest north from Dorrigo and Coffs Harbour in New South Wales to Warwick and Canungra in Queensland.[2][3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "Eucalyptus dunnii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Eucalyptus dunnii". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus dunnii". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra.
  4. ^ a b Hill, Ken. "Eucalyptus dunnii". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Eucalyptus dunnii". APNI. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  6. ^ Maiden, Joseph (1905). "On a new species of Eucalyptus from northern New South Wales". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 30 (2): 336–338. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.12906. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Dunn, William (1860 - >1921)". Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. Retrieved 25 June 2019.