Eucalyptus delegatensis
Encyclopedia
Eucalyptus delegatensis, commonly known as Alpine Ash or Gum-topped stringybark or White-top, is a sub-alpine or temperate
tree
of southeastern Australia
. A straight, grey-trunked tree, it reaches heights of over 90 metres in suitable conditions. The tallest currently known specimen is located in Tasmania
and is 87.9 m tall. This height is sufficient to make it the 10th tallest species of tree
.
Among flowering plants, only the Eucalyptus regnans
(Mountain Ash) grows taller, the Tasmanian Blue Gum, the Manna Gum
, the Messmate Stringybark, the Shorea faguetiana
, the Koompassia excelsa
and possibly also the Eucalyptus nitens
and the Allantospermum borneense
about the same.
The bark is thick and fibrous at the base, smooth on the smaller branches. In the Tasmania
n subspecies
, the entire trunk and the larger limbs are thick-barked; in the mainland subspecies the rough bark extends only part-way up the trunk.
The nominate subspecies is native to cool, deep soiled, mountainous areas between 850m and 1500 m in Victoria
and New South Wales
; E. d. tasmaniensis is found in most higher-altitude parts of Tasmania apart from the south-west.
Alpine Ash requires very high rainfall by Australian standards — over 1200mm (47 inches) per year and snow or frosts during the winter months. It is an important tree for the timber industry, often grouped with Mountain Ash, Messmate Stringybark and sold as Vic(torian) Ash or Tas(manian) Oak.
Alpine Ash regenerates only from seed. While occasional fires do not severely impact Alpine Ash forest, repeated fires in the same area can wipe stands out because it takes roughly twenty years for seedlings to reach sexual maturity.
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
of southeastern Australia
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...
. A straight, grey-trunked tree, it reaches heights of over 90 metres in suitable conditions. The tallest currently known specimen is located in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and is 87.9 m tall. This height is sufficient to make it the 10th tallest species of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
.
Among flowering plants, only the Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
(Mountain Ash) grows taller, the Tasmanian Blue Gum, the Manna Gum
Manna Gum
Eucalyptus viminalis, Manna Gum, also known as White Gum, Ribbon Gum or Viminalis is an Australian eucalypt.It is a straight erect tree, often around 40 metres tall, with rough bark on the trunk and base of larger branches, its upper bark peels away in long "ribbons" which can collect on the...
, the Messmate Stringybark, the Shorea faguetiana
Shorea faguetiana
Shorea faguetiana is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The tallest documented tropical angiosperm is a 88.3 m tall Shorea faguetiana in the Tawau Hills National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . ...
, the Koompassia excelsa
Koompassia excelsa
Tualang, or Koompassia excelsa, is an emergent tropical rainforest tree species in the Fabaceae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. It is one of the tallest tropical tree species: the tallest measured specimen is 85.8 m or 88 m tall.Tualangs grow mostly in...
and possibly also the Eucalyptus nitens
Eucalyptus nitens
Eucalyptus nitens, commonly known as Shining Gum, is a Eucalypt species native to Victoria and eastern New South Wales, Australia. It grows in wet forests and rainforest margins on fertile soils in cool high-rainfall areas.-Description:...
and the Allantospermum borneense
Allantospermum borneense
Allantospermum borneense is a species of rainforest tree up to 90 metres tall in the Ixonanthaceae family. It is found in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo....
about the same.
The bark is thick and fibrous at the base, smooth on the smaller branches. In the Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, the entire trunk and the larger limbs are thick-barked; in the mainland subspecies the rough bark extends only part-way up the trunk.
The nominate subspecies is native to cool, deep soiled, mountainous areas between 850m and 1500 m in Victoria
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....
and 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...
; E. d. tasmaniensis is found in most higher-altitude parts of Tasmania apart from the south-west.
Alpine Ash requires very high rainfall by Australian standards — over 1200mm (47 inches) per year and snow or frosts during the winter months. It is an important tree for the timber industry, often grouped with Mountain Ash, Messmate Stringybark and sold as Vic(torian) Ash or Tas(manian) Oak.
Alpine Ash regenerates only from seed. While occasional fires do not severely impact Alpine Ash forest, repeated fires in the same area can wipe stands out because it takes roughly twenty years for seedlings to reach sexual maturity.
See also
- Mountain AshEucalyptus regnansEucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
- Snow GumEucalyptus paucifloraThe Snow Gum is a small tree or large shrub native to eastern Australia.-Habitat:It is usually found in the subalpine habitats of eastern Australia. Snow Gums also grow in lowland habitats where they can reach heights of up to 20 metres. Lowland Snow Gum is sometimes known as White Sallee, Cabbage...
- Manna GumManna GumEucalyptus viminalis, Manna Gum, also known as White Gum, Ribbon Gum or Viminalis is an Australian eucalypt.It is a straight erect tree, often around 40 metres tall, with rough bark on the trunk and base of larger branches, its upper bark peels away in long "ribbons" which can collect on the...
- Tingiringi Gum
- Cider gum
- Urn-fruited Gum
- Blue GumBlue GumBlue Gum usually refers to the subspecies or the species in Eucalyptus globulus complex, however it may also refer to a number of other species of Eucalyptus in Australia. Confusingly, in Queensland it usually refers to Eucalyptus tereticornis, which is known elsewhere as Forest Red Gum.* Gippsland...
- Messmate Stringybark
- EucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...