Gooseberry Mallee (Eucalyptus calycogona)

Description

Eucalyptus calycogona, commonly known as the gooseberry mallee or the square fruited mallee,is a mallee that is native to southern Australia .The tall thin multi-stemmed mallee tree has a rounded dense and spreading habit and typically grows to a height of 3 to 7 metres (10 to 23 ft). It has pale green foliage and smooth silvery-brown to cream coloured bark.The leaves are aromatic when crushed and are alternating up the stems. they have a lanceolate shape and are 5 to 10 centimetres (2.0 to 3.9 in) in length and 7 to 25 millimetres (0.28 to 0.98 in) wide.It blooms in autumn between July and November producing small white-cream-pink flowers.The inflorescences are in clusters of 3-8 at the bases of the leaves. There are two rows of stamens, the outer ring of stamens not producing pollen. The buds and gumnuts have a square cross-section, with four longitudinal ribs.It is found on flats, slopes, hills, breakaways and road verges in the southern Wheatbelt, Great Southern and southern Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy-clay-loamy soils over ironstone.Also found in south western New South Wales, western Victoria and southern South Australia.The species is associated with the chenopod mallee subgroup. The chenopod mallee subgroup has E. calycogona along with other trees including Eucalyptus gracilis, Eucalyptus dumosa and Eucalyptus oleosa the understorey includes species of Maireana, Sclerolaena, Enchylaena, Chenopodium and Zygophyllum.E. calycogona is cultivated as a ornamental or shade tree that is suitable for coastal or inland areas. The tree is tolerant of drought, lime and moderate frost and is bird and insect attracting. The species was first formally described by the Russian botanist Nikolai Turczaninow in 1852 as part of the work Myrtaceae Xerocarpicae in Nova Hollandia a cl. Drummond lectae et plerumque in collectione ejus quinta distributae, determinatae et descriptae. published in the Bulletin de la Classe Physico-Math-matique de l'Acad-mie Imp-riale des Sciences de Saint-P-tersbourg.