Prior names
Eucalyptus incurva
Common names
Mount Lindsay Mallee
Mallee Red Gum
Etymology
Eucalyptus from the Greek 'eu' meaning well and 'calyptos' meaning covered; alluding to the cap or lid which covers the stamens in the bud. Gillenii named after Francis James Gillen (1855-1912), an early Australian anthropologist, ethnologist and the first postmaster at Alice Springs and after whom Mt Gillen in the MacDonnell Ranges (where the type specimen was colledted) was named.
Distribution and status
Found in the far north-west corner of South Australia, on Mount Wooltarlinna and Mount Lindsay, growing in crevices on and at the base of massive rock domes in water run-off areas. Also found in Western Australia and Northern Territory. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Western Australia. Common in Northern Territory.
Herbarium region: North Western
NRM region: Alinytjara Wilurara
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Multi-stemmed mallee to 6 m tall with smooth, grey to pinkish-tan to cream bark. Juvenile leaves lanceolate to falcate, dull, green to blue-green. Adult leaves to 180 mm long and 28 mm wide, lanceolate ot falcate, dull, green to blue-green. Flowers axillary in groups of 7-9, held erect. Buds to 16 mm long and 7 mm wide, smooth, bud-cap cone-shape to round, slightly longer than the base. Flowers creamy-white. Fruits are globular fruit to 10 mm long and 12 mm wide, smooth, disc broad and ascending, valves 3 to 4 exserted above the rim. Seeds are dark brown pyramidal-shaped seed to 1.5 mm long and 0.8 mm wide. Seed embryo type is folded.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and December. Collect mature fruits that are dark and hard (difficult to break with a finger nail), with the valves un-open any time of year. Leave the fruits in a breathable container in a dry room for one to two weeks. This allows the valves on the fruit to open and release the seeds. Separate the seeds by placing all the materials into a bucket and shaking it to dislodge the seeds. Pass the material through a sieve to separate the unwanted material. The finer material will contain both seeds (soft) and frass (hard) usually distinguishable from each other but can be very similar in shape and colour. With finer sieves, the seeds can be separated from the frass but this is not essential for storage or propagation. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 7,700 (2.83 g) | 10 | 20-Mar-2014 | Mt Lindsay North Western | 1-Jan-2016 | 100% | -18°C |