Eucalyptus agglomerata
Encyclopedia
Eucalyptus agglomerata, known by the common name Blue leaved Stringybark, is a tree native to eastern Australia
. Eucalyptus agglomerata was first described by Joseph Maiden
in 1922. Its specific name a Latin
adjective for "crowded" and referring to the crowded gumnuts. The type specimen was collected in 1896 by Maiden from Hill Top
in the Southern Highlands district of New South Wales
.
Blue-leaved stringybark is a koala
food tree. A field study conducted in the Campbelltown
district southwest of Sydney
published in 2000 found that koalas preferred Blue-leaved Stringybark and Grey Gum but only when the two tree species were growing on shale-based rather than sandstone soils. Stringybark
s are some of the most difficult of all eucalyptus plants to identify. However, the bluish colour of the leaves makes this species fairly easy to identify.
Leaves are alternate on the stem, not in any particular pattern. 7 to 14 cm long, 1.3 to 3 cm wide. They are green or grey-green, perhaps with a glossy sheen, and show up as almost blue when looking above at the foliage. The leaves are the same colour on both sides.
The stringybark is a small to tall tree up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall and a metre wide at the base. It occurs in areas of eastern central and southern New South Wales
, and is distributed as far north as Wauchope
, to just south of the Victorian
border into Croajingolong National Park
.
soils give best results. The soil types for E. agglomerata are mostly sedimentary, based on shale
s and sandstone
s, but sometimes slate
s.
borer. The light brown heartwood is of a moderate fine texture with some interlocking grain. The weight is 930 kilograms per cubic metre. It is slow drying and is used for general building construction and fencing.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Eucalyptus agglomerata was first described by Joseph Maiden
Joseph Maiden
Joseph Henry Maiden was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the Eucalyptus genus. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Maiden when citing a botanical name.Joseph Maiden was born in St John's Wood, London...
in 1922. Its specific name a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adjective for "crowded" and referring to the crowded gumnuts. The type specimen was collected in 1896 by Maiden from Hill Top
Hill Top, New South Wales
Hill Top is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. Previous names of the village include Hilltop and Jellore. It is a 17 km drive to Mittagong and around 10 km drive to the Hume Highway via Colo Vale. It is roughly 6–8 km...
in the Southern Highlands district of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Blue-leaved stringybark is a koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
food tree. A field study conducted in the Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
district southwest of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
published in 2000 found that koalas preferred Blue-leaved Stringybark and Grey Gum but only when the two tree species were growing on shale-based rather than sandstone soils. Stringybark
Stringybark
A stringybark can be any of the many Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the Myrtaceae family. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species A stringybark can be any of the many Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous...
s are some of the most difficult of all eucalyptus plants to identify. However, the bluish colour of the leaves makes this species fairly easy to identify.
Description
Blue-leaved stringybark has thick, fibrous stringy bark usually colored grey over reddish brown. From a distance the leaves appear a bluish/green colour. As with many stringybarks, the gumnuts are crowded together without stems. Globose in shape with a very small opening, around 5 mm by 8 mm wide. Flowering takes place from March till August, the white flowers measuring around 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter.Leaves are alternate on the stem, not in any particular pattern. 7 to 14 cm long, 1.3 to 3 cm wide. They are green or grey-green, perhaps with a glossy sheen, and show up as almost blue when looking above at the foliage. The leaves are the same colour on both sides.
The stringybark is a small to tall tree up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall and a metre wide at the base. It occurs in areas of eastern central and southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and is distributed as far north as Wauchope
Wauchope, New South Wales
-People from Wauchope:* Iva Davies - Musician, Icehouse* Alison Langdon - Channel Nine News Reader - Today Show* Phil Jamieson - Musician, Grinspoon* Andrew Stoner - NSW National Party of Australia leader, Member for Oxley...
, to just south of the Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
border into Croajingolong National Park
Croajingolong National Park
Croajingolong is a coastal national park in Victoria, Australia, 427 kilometres east of Melbourne.The name is thought to derive from the aboriginal word Krowathunkooloong, the name of the tribe inhabiting that area of Victoria.-Description:...
.
Habitat
The tree is often found on gentle to moderate slopes in the coastal and tableland areas, but it also grows on steep slopes in the Blue Mountains. The soils show a range of types, some of poor quality but mostly of good levels of sub soil moisture. PodosolicPodsol
In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous, or boreal forests. They are also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia...
soils give best results. The soil types for E. agglomerata are mostly sedimentary, based on shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s, but sometimes slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
s.
Climate
The climate for this species is mostly warm humid with rainfall ranges between 700 mm to 1500 mm per year. Frosts are common in the higher altitudes of its range, but absent on the lower coastal habitats. The average high temperature of the warmest month is between 25 to 31 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature range of the coolest month is from -2 to 6 degrees Celsius. Blue-leaved stringybark is found within 120 kilometres of the sea.Cultivation
It is not often seen in cultivation but has potential as a windbreak or shelter tree.Timber
The pale brown sapwood is resistant to lyctusLyctus brunneus
Lyctus brunneus is a species of beetle in the family Bostrichidae , with a worldwide distribution, being present in tropical Africa, Oceania, the Palearctic , the Nearctic, the Neotropics, North Africa and East Asia. It is absent from the Near East...
borer. The light brown heartwood is of a moderate fine texture with some interlocking grain. The weight is 930 kilograms per cubic metre. It is slow drying and is used for general building construction and fencing.