Eucalyptus caesia 

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         Caesia

• Commonly known as caesia or gungurru

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• The name Eucalyptus is derived from the Ancient Greek words eu meaning 'good'and kalypto meaning ' cover, conceal, hide', referring to the operculum covering the flower buds 

• The specific epithet (caesia) is a Latin word meaning "bluish grey" referring to the waxy cover of the small branches, flower buds and fruit

Flowers:                  

• The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of three on an unbranched peduncle 15–35 mm long, the individual flowers on pedicels 15–22 mm long

• Mature flower buds are oval or pear-shaped, covered with a whitish waxy bloom, 17–30 mm long and 10–13 mm wide with a conical operculum

• Flowering mainly occurs between May and September and the flowers have pink stamens with yellow anthers on the tip

Fruit:                         

• The fruit is a woody bell-shaped or urn-shaped capsule 15–25 mm long and 18–23 mm wide on a peduncle 13–33 mm long

Leaves:         

• Young plants and coppice regrowth have thick, glossy green, heart-shaped leaves 25–80 mm long and 25–60 mm wide that have a petiole

• Adult leaves are lance-shaped to curved, mostly 80–110 mm long and 15–25 mm 

Stem & branches: 

• The bark is smooth reddish brown at first and is shed in curling longitudinal flakes known as "minnirichi"

• Young branches are shiny red, covered with a waxy, bluish white bloom

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A mallee that typically grows to a height of 2 to 14 m and forms a lignotuber

• The species is known to be drought tolerant

Habitat:   

• Crevices at the base of granite outcrops

Distribution:                  

• In scattered inland areas of the south-west, including in the Avon Wheatbelt and Mallee biogeographic regions

Additional notes:   

• Taxonomy and naming

  • Eucalyptus caesia was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham from a collection made by James Drummond in 1847 and the description was published in Flora Australiensis

  • In 1982, Ian Brooker and Stephen Hopper described two subspecies, but the Australian Plant Census accepts these as synonyms:

    • Eucalyptus caesia subsp. caesia grows to a height of 6 to 9 m with smaller leaves, buds and fruit than the other subspecies

    • Eucalyptus caesia subsp. magna grows to a height of 15 m with pendulous branches and larger leaves, buds and fruit

• Ecology

  • Despite persisting as very small populations, this species does not seem to exhibit effects of inbreeding depression

  • Associated species include Eucalyptus crucis, Eucalyptus loxophleba, Allocasuarina huegeliana and Acacia lasiocalyx

• Use in horticulture

  • A form known as 'Silver Princess' is described as a "graceful weeping tree" that has an irregular and weeping form

  • Propagation is from seed, which germinates readily

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_caesia (2024)