Eucalyptus gomphocephala

"Tuart" redirects here. For the S-100 dual serial interface card, see Cromemco TUART.

Tuart
Eucalyptus gomphocephala in Kings Park, Perth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. gomphocephala
Binomial name
Eucalyptus gomphocephala
Field range
Synonyms[3]
  • Eucalyptus gomphocephala DC. var. gomphocephala
  • Eucalyptus gomphocephala var. rhodoxylon Blakely & H.Steedman

Eucalyptus gomphocephala, known as tuart,[4] is a species of tree and is one of the six forest giants of Southwest Australia.

Flower buds
Flowers
Fruit

The trees usually grow to a height of 10 to 40 m (33 to 131 ft) and mostly have a single stem, but can have multiple stems under some conditions. The crown can be as wide as 25 metres (82 ft). It has rough box-like bark over the length of the trunk and larger branches. The glossy light-green to green adult leaves are arranged alternately and have an oval to lanceolate or falcate shape, and have a leaf blade that is 90 to 180 millimetres (3.5 to 7.1 in) long and 1.5 to 3 cm (0.59 to 1.18 in) wide. The tree flowers between January and April with white to cream inflorescences that form in the leaf axils and are not branched. The fruits that follow have an obconic to upside-down bell shape.

Tuarts were first formally described by the botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1828. The botanist Jean-Baptiste Leschenault assembled the type collection at the Vasse River near Geographe Bay during 1802, while serving with the Baudin expedition.

The distribution range of tuart is along a narrow coastal corridor within the Swan Coastal Plain, extending inland 5 to 10 kilometres (3.1 to 6.2 mi), a continuous corridor south from Yanchep to Busselton. Tuart forest was common on the Swan coastal plain until the valuable trees were felled for export and displaced by the urban development around Perth. The wood has many uses as it is dense, hard and water resistant and resists splintering. Remnants of tuart forest occur in state reserves and parks; the tree has occasionally been introduced to other regions of Australia and overseas. Remaining trees are vulnerable to Phytophthora dieback, an often fatal disorder. It was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as of 2019.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference iucn status 5 June 2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Candolle1828 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Eucalyptus gomphocephala". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FloraBase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).