Eucalyptus punctata, commonly known as grey gum, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in patches, lance-shaped, curved or egg-shaped adult leaves flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit. Its leaves are one of the favoured foods of the koala.
Description
Eucalyptus punctata is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth grey, brown or cream-coloured bark that is shed in patches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull green leaves that are paler on the lower surface, egg-shaped to lance-shaped, long and wide and petiolate. Adult leaves are glossy dark green, paler on the lower surface, lance-shaped or curved to egg-shaped, long and wide tapering to a petiole long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf s in groups of seven on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds on pedicels long. Mature buds are oval, long and wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering occurs from December to March and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, cup-shaped or hemispherical capsule long and wide.
Taxonomy
Eucalyptus punctata was first formally described in 1828 by Swiss naturalist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in his book Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis. The specifici epithet is from the Latin adjectivepunctatus meaning "spotted" and refers to the oil glands, which give the leaves a dotted appearance. It is one a group of related species known collectively as large-fruited grey gums found in eastern Australia, the others being E. longirostrata from eastern Queensland, E. biturbinata from the New England region, and E. canaliculata from the vicinity of Gloucester and Dungog in central-northern New South Wales.
The grey gum regenerates by regrowing from the base and branches after bushfire. Trees live for over a hundred years. The grey-headed flying fox eats the flowers, while the leaves form a staple of the diet of the koala. Leaves in winter contain less nitrogen than those in summer, which the koalas make up for by eating more in winter months. The brown-headed honeyeater and yellow-tufted honeyeater have been observed eating gum exudate from the stems. Fieldwork at several sites around central New South Wales showed that the red wattlebird and noisy friarbird preferred to forage on the foliage of the grey gum over other trees, with the former appearing to oust the latter if both species were present.
Uses
The timber is very hard and durable, and used in construction and for railway sleepers. The multicoloured bark of Eucalyptus punctata that appears from time to time gives the tree some horticultural appeal, and it has potential applications in large parks, reserves and fields.
