Red Morrell

Eucalyptus longicornis, commonly known as red morrel,[2] morryl, poot or pu, is a species of large tree that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous, fissured bark on the trunk, smooth greyish bark above, flower buds in groups of seven or more, white flowers and shortened spherical fruit.

Red morrel
Eucalyptus longicornis.jpg
Eucalyptus longicornis near Southern Cross
Scientific classificationedit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. longicornis
Binomial name
Eucalyptus longicornis
(F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Maiden[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Eucalyptus longicornis (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Maiden subsp. longicornis
  • Eucalyptus oleosa var. longicornis F.Muell.
flower buds
fruit

DescriptionEdit

Eucalyptus longicornis is a tree that typically that grows to a height of 2 to 24 metres (7 to 79 ft) and can reach as high as 30 m (98 ft). It has rough, grey brown, fibrous, often fissured bark on the trunk, smooth white to greyish bark above. Young plants and coppice regrowth have stems that are glaucous, more or less square in cross-section, and sessile, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves that are 20–85 mm (0.79–3.35 in) long and 9–26 mm (0.35–1.02 in) wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, thick, the same shade of glossy green on both sides, linear to narrow lance-shaped, 60–130 mm (2.4–5.1 in) long and 6–13 mm (0.24–0.51 in) wide, tapering to a petiole 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of between seven and thirteen in leaf axils on an unbranched peduncle 6–13 mm (0.24–0.51 in) long, the individual buds on pedicels 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 9–15 mm (0.35–0.59 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide with a pointed operculum 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long. Flowering occurs between December and February and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody shortened spherical capsule 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and wide with the valves protruding well above the rim of the fruit. The capsules contain over 200 seeds per gram and persist on the tree until at least the following year, often longer.[2][3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy and namingEdit

Sketch of E. longicornis from A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus[7]

This species was first formally described in 1878 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Eucalyptus oleosa var. longicornis and published the description in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[8][9] In 1919 Joseph Maiden noted that Mueller had referred to the species as Eucalyptus longicornis, including in his book Eucalyptographia without having published a description of that species.[10] Maiden published the new name in Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, acknowledging Mueller's first use of it.[11]

The Noongar peoples know the tree as morryl, poot or put.[12]

The specific epithet (longicornis) is derived from the Latin words longus meaning "long" and cornu meaning "horn", referring to the shape of the flower buds.

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