Species profile—Eucalyptus sicilifolia
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Myrtaceae → Eucalyptus sicilifolia
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Scientific name
- Eucalyptus sicilifolia L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill
- WildNet taxon ID
- 9240
- Alternate name(s)
- Springsure ironbark
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Vulnerable
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Eucalyptus sicilifolia is a tree to 10 m tall. The bark is persistent, dark grey ironbark, the smaller branches are smooth to about 2.5 cm diameter and cream in colour. The juvenile leaves are linear, glossy and distinctly discolorous, to 10cm long by 7mm wide, the petioles are 4mm long. The intermediate leaves are linear to 16cm long by 12mm wide, the petioles to 5mm long. The adult leaves are linear to narrow-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, falcate and glossy green, the same colour on both surfaces, 7 to 12 cm long by 6 to 16 mm wide, the petioles are 9 to 17 mm long. The lateral veins are well-spaced, regular, at 30 to 50 degrees to the midrib, finely regularly reticulate between. The intramarginal vein is distinct, 0.5 to 1 mm from the margin. The terminal inflorescence is compound, comprising 3 to 7 groups of flowers, the peduncles 2 to 8 mm long, the pedicels 2 to 5 mm long. The mature buds are ovoid to broadly fusiform, 4 to 5 mm long by 2 to 3 mm diameter. The fruits are ovoid, truncate, 4 to 5 mm long by 4 to 5 mm diameter, the valves are enclosed or at rim-level. The seeds are ovoid to ellipsoid, dull to sub-glossy, dark red-brown, shallowly reticulate.
Eucalyptus sicilifolia is distinguished within the E. paniculata group by the linear juvenile leaves, the glossy, lanceolate or distinctly falcate adult leaves, and the small buds and fruits. The only comparable bud and fruit size and shape in the group is E. beyeriana from NSW which has dull grey-green juvenile and adult leaves (Hill and Johnson, 1991). - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Eucalyptus sicilifolia has a very restricted distribution, known only from St Peter Mountain, Little St Peter Mountain and Minerva Hills National Park (Mt Zamia) near Springsure (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Distributional limits
- -23.9734342, 148.0427735
-24.0902778, 148.0927803 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Eucalyptus sicilifolia is restricted to low woodland on the rocky top of trachytic volcanic plugs and the tops of surrounding scree slopes. Associated species include Corymbia trachyphloia, Acacia julifera subsp. curvinervia and Triodia mitchellii (Hill and Johnson, 1991; Queensland Herbarium, 2012)
- Reproduction
- Flowering period July - October (Brooker and Kleinig, 1994; Queensland Herbarium, 2012). Fruiting has been recorded in October (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Status notes
- Eucalyptus sicilifolia is listed as Vulnerable under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
- References
- Brooker, M.I.H. and Kleinig, D.A. (1994). Field Guide to Eucalypts. Volume 3, Northern Australia.
Hill, K.D. and Johnson, L.A.S. (1991). Systematic studies in the eucalypts. 4. New taxa in Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae). Telopea 4 (2): 339.
Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 19/01/2012. - Profile author
- Ronald Booth (26/06/2012)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=9240.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
