Eucalyptus macarthurii
{{Short description|Species of eucalyptus}}
{{speciesbox
|name= Camden woollybutt
|image = Eucalyptus macarthurii Bowral.jpg
|image_caption = Eucalyptus macarthurii at Bowral
|status = EN
|status_system = EPBC
|genus = Eucalyptus
|species = macarthurii
|authority = H.Deane & Maiden{{cite web|title=Eucalyptus macarthurii|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/97075|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=19 September 2019}}
}}
Eucalyptus macarthurii, commonly known as the Camden woollybutt or Paddy's river box,{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Ken |title=Eucalyptus macarthurii |url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Eucalyptus~macarthurii |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney |access-date=19 September 2019}} is a species of medium-sized tree that is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth above, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and small conical to bell-shaped fruit.File:Eucalyptus macarthurii buds.jpgFile:Eucalyptus macarthurii fruit.jpg
Description
Eucalyptus macarthurii is a tree that typically grows to a height of {{cvt|40|m}} and forms a lignotuber. It has rough, greyish brown, fissured, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, and smooth grey bark that is shed in short ribbons on the thinner branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have sessile, broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs, {{cvt|35-70|mm}} long and {{cvt|25-45|mm}} wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same shade of glossy green on both sides, narrow lance-shaped to curved, {{cvt|90-180|mm}} long and {{cvt|10-25|mm}} wide, tapering to a petiole {{cvt|10-20|mm}} long. The flower buds are arranged in groups of seven in leaf axils on an unbranched peduncle {{cvt|4-10|mm}} long, the individual buds sessile or on pedicels up to {{cvt|2|mm}} long. Mature fruit are oval, {{cvt|2.5-5|mm}} long and {{cvt|2-3.5|mm}} wide with a conical to beaked operculum {{cvt|2-3|mm}} long. Flowering has been recorded in January and May and the fruit is a woody, conical to bell-shaped capsule {{cvt|2-5|mm}} long and {{cvt|4-6|mm}} wide with the valves at rim level or slightly protruding.{{cite web |title=Eucalyptus macarthurii |url=http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org:8080/euclid/data/02050e02-0108-490e-8900-0e0601070d00/media/Html/Eucalyptus_macarthurii.htm |publisher=Euclid: centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research |access-date=19 September 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Chippendale |first1=George M. |title=Eucalyptus macarthurii |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Eucalyptus%20macarthurii |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra |access-date=19 September 2019}}{{cite book |last1=Carolin |first1=Roger |last2=Tindale |first2=Mary |title=Flora of the Sydney region |year=1994 |publisher=Reed |location=Chatswood, N.S.W. |isbn=0730104001 |page=392 |edition=4th}}
Taxonomy and naming
Eucalyptus macarthurii was first formally described in 1899 by Henry Deane and Joseph Maiden in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.{{cite web|title=Eucalyptus macarthurii|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/455606|publisher=APNI|access-date=19 September 2019}} The specific epithet (macarthurii) honours "Sir William Macarthur, who appears to have been the first to recognise this particular Woolly-butt as a distinct tree".{{cite journal |last1=Deane |first1=Henry |last2=Maiden |first2=Joseph |title=Observation on the eucalypts of New South Wales |journal=Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales |date=1899 |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=448_451 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/21735#page/546/mode/1up |access-date=19 September 2019}}
Distribution and habitat
Camden woollybutt grows in open forest on flats and near watercourses on the Central and Southern Tablelands between the Blue Mountains and Goulburn.
Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the species are habitat loss due to land clearing, weed invasion and grazing.{{cite web |title=Paddys River Box, Camden Woollybutt - profile |url=https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=20037 |publisher=New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage |access-date=19 September 2019}}{{cite web |title=Conservation Advice Eucalyptus macarthurii Camden woollybutt |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/7827-conservation-advice-05052016.pdf |publisher=Australian Government Department of the Environment |access-date=19 September 2019}}
Uses
In the past, this species was commercially harvested for geranyl acetate, which was extracted from the bark using distillation.{{cite book| last=Boland | first=Douglas J. |author2=Joseph J. Brophy |author3=Alan P. N. House | title=Eucalyptus Leaf Oils: Use, Chemistry, Distillation, and Marketing | year=1991 | publisher=Inkata Press | isbn=0-909605-69-6}}