Eucalyptus resinifera: Difference between revisions

Red mahogany
Red mahogany at Chatswood
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	E. resinifera
Binomial name
Eucalyptus resinifera Sm.[1]

Eucalyptus resinifera, commonly known as red mahogany or red messmate,^[2] is a species of medium-sized to tall tree endemic to coastal areas of eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy or fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and hemispherical, conical or cup-shaped fruit.

Description

Eucalyptus resinifera is a tree that typically grows to a height of 45 m (148 ft) and forms a

Eucalyptus resinifera was first formally described in 1790 by James Edward Smith in John White's book, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, from material collected by White at Port Jackson. The specific epithet (resinifera) is from the Latin resiniferus meaning "resin-bearing".^[2][6][7]

In 1990, Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill described two subspecies, and the names have been accepted by the Australian Plant Census:^[8]

• Eucalyptus resinifera subsp. hemilampra (F.Muell.) L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill^[9] (originally described by Ferdinand von Mueller as Eucalyptus hemilampra);^[10]
• Eucalyptus resinifera Sm. subsp. resinifera.^[11]

The two subspecies differ in the length of the operculum. In subspecies resinifera it is less than three times as long as the floral cup and in species hemilampra more than three times as long.

Distribution and habitat

Red mahogany is found in coastal areas from

Red mahogany has wildlife value as a food tree for koalas.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Uses

The

E. resinifera has been exported for use as a crop plant on plantations in varying locales in Africa (Madagascar, South Africa and Zimbabwe), Western Europe (Italy and Portugal), and the U.S. (Hawaiian Islands).^{[17][18][19][20]}

References