Register      Login
Australian Systematic Botany Australian Systematic Botany Society
Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
RESEARCH ARTICLE

A taxonomic revision of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae)

M. W. McDonald A , M. I. H. Brooker B D and P. A. Butcher C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A CSIRO Plant Industry, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6160, Australia.

B CSIRO Plant Industry, PO Box E4008, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia.

C CSIRO Forest Biosciences, PO Box E4008, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: ian.brooker@csiro.au

Australian Systematic Botany 22(4) 257-285 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB09005
Submitted: 2 February 2009  Accepted: 23 March 2009   Published: 31 August 2009

Abstract

Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. has one of the widest natural distributions of any Australian tree species. It is represented in most climatic zones and the majority of river systems across Australia. Numerous studies have documented morphological and genotypic variation among populations from across its range. Its adaptation to a wide range of environments has contributed to it becoming one of the most widely cultivated eucalypts across a range of arid, temperate and tropical countries. A recent range-wide study of E. camaldulensis with microsatellite markers concluded that its patterns of genetic variation were consistent with it comprising seven infraspecific taxa. As foreshadowed in that study, here we describe these taxa, viz. subsp. acuta, subsp. arida, subsp. camaldulensis, subsp. minima, subsp. obtusa, subsp. refulgens and subsp. simulata. A key to subspecies is presented, with each subspecies being illustrated and the main differences tabulated. Operculum shape, the arrangement of stamens in the bud and the reticulation density of adult leaves are some of the main characters distinguishing taxa. Clustering patterns from further analyses of the microsatellite data were consistent with morphological affinities among subspecies. Typification issues and lignotuber status are among topics discussed.


Acknowledgements

We thank the curators of the BRI, CANB, NSW, MEL, W and K herbaria for access to specimens; Andrew Slee (CANB) and Tony Bean (BRI) for helpful discussions and assistance with specimen data; John Connors (CANB) for the image of the Dehnhardt type, and Dean Nicolle (Currency Creek Arboretum) for field observations. We especially thank Tony Orchard, David Kleinig, Laurie Adams, Brendan Lepschi and three anonymous referees for their suggestions to improve the manuscript. This research was an initiative of CSIRO’s Australian Tree Seed Centre; we are grateful to its former heads Stephen Midgley, Tim Vercoe and John Doran for their support, and to the current head, David Bush. This study was largely funded by the many incarnations of CSIRO’s now extinct Forestry Division.


References


Agostini R (1953) ‘Cenni storici sulla introduzione degli Eucalitti in Italia. L’Italia Forestale e Montana, Anno VIII, fasc. N.3.’ pp. 3–8. (Maggio-Giagno)

Andrew IA (1973) Variation in leaf morphology among provenances of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. grown in Rhodesia. Rhodesian Journal of Agricultural Research 11, 155–169. [Accessed July 2008]

Department of Sustainability and Environment (2003) Lake Albacutya Ramsar site: strategic management plan. The Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria. Available at http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources07/07_1003.pdf [Accessed July 2008]

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2008) List of threatened ecological communities. Available at http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publiclookupcommunities.pl [Accessed July 2008]

Dexter BD, Rose HJ, Davies N (1986) River regulation and associate forest management problems in the River Murray red gum forests. Australian Forestry 49, 16–27. (Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

Gardner CA (1962) ‘Eucalypts of Western Australia.’ (Western Australian Department of Agriculture: Perth)

Glaubitz JC (2004) CONVERT: a user-friendly program to reformat diploid genotypic data for commonly used population genetic software packages. Molecular Ecology Notes 4, 309–310.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Griffin AR, Burgess IP, Wolf L (1988) Patterns of natural and manipulated hybridisation in the genus Eucalyptus L’Hérit. – a review. Australian Journal of Botany 36, 41–66.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Grunwald C, Karschon R (1979) Mitotic chromosome counts of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Australian Forest Research 9, 149–150. open url image1

Harris JG , Harris MW (1994) ‘Plant identification terminology. An illustrated glossary.’ (Spring Lake Publishing: Spring Lake, UT)

Jacobs MR (1979) ‘Eucalypts for planting.’ (Food and Agriculture Organisation: Rome)

Jahnke R, Carr DJ, Carr SGM (1983) Lignotuber development and growth parameters in Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Dehnh.): effects of phosphorus and nitrogen levels. Australian Journal of Botany 31, 283–292.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Karschon R (1967) Ecotypic variation in Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. Contributions on Eucalypts in Israel 3, 35–53. open url image1

Karschon R (1971) Lignotuber occurrence in Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. Flora 160, 495–510. open url image1

Kidson R , Martin W , Witts T , Raisin G (2000) Monitoring of river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Macquarie Marshes, NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation, Sydney.

Larsen E (1967) Geographic variation in Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. In ‘Proceedings of the ANZAAS 39th congress’, section M, abstracts, M28. (Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science: Melbourne)

Latz PK (1995) ‘Bushfires and bushtucker: Aborigines and plants in central Australia.’ (IAD Press: Alice Springs)

Maiden JH (1920 a) Eucalyptus rostrata. In ‘A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus. Vol. 4.’ pp. 65–74. (Government Printer: Sydney)

Maiden JH (1920 b) Eucalyptus rudis. In ‘A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus. Vol. 4.’ pp. 75–81. (Government Printer: Sydney)

McDonald MW , Bell JC , Butcher PA (1996) Effect of seed collection strategies on capturing genetic diversity in Eucalyptus camaldulensis. In ‘Innovations in tropical tree seed technology’. Proceedings of an IUFRO symposium on seed problems. Arusha, Tanzania, 7–10 September 1995. (Ed. K Olesen) pp. 166–174. (Danida Forest Tree Centre: Humlebaek, Denmark)

Midgley SJ, Eldridge KG, Doran JC (1989) Genetic resources of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Commonwealth Forestry Review 68, 295–308. open url image1

Miquel FAW (1856) Stirpes novo-Hollandas a Ferd. Mullero collectas. Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief 44, 125. open url image1

Moncur MW, Mitchell A, Fripp Y, Kleinschmidt GJ (1995) The role of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in eucalypt and acacia seed production areas. Commonwealth Forestry Review 74, 350–354. open url image1

Moore KM (1975) The Glycaspis spp. (Homoptera: Psyllidae) associated with Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 99, 122–128. open url image1

Mueller F von (1879–1884) ‘Eucalyptographia. A descriptive atlas of the eucalypts of Australia and the adjoining islands.’ (Government Printer: Melbourne)

Nei M (1972) Genetic distance between populations. American Naturalist 106, 283–292.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Nicolle D (1997) ‘Eucalypts of South Australia.’ (Dean Nicolle: Morphett Vale, SA)

Nicolle D (2006 a) ‘Eucalypts of Victoria and Tasmania.’ (Bloomings Books: Melbourne)

Nicolle D (2006b) A classification and census of regenerative strategies in the eucalypts (Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus – Myrtaceae), with special reference to the obligate seeders. Australian Journal of Botany 54, 391–407.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Ochieng JW, Henry RJ, Baverstock PR, Steane DA, Shepherd M (2007) Nuclear ribosomal pseudogenes resolve a corroborated monophyly of the eucalypt genus Corymbia despite misleading hypotheses at functional ITS paralogs. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44, 752–764.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed | open url image1

Osborn TGB (1937) Some notes on the nomenclature of certain common species of Eucalyptus. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 62, 73–77. open url image1

Paton DC , Crossfield EL , Hurrell B , Rogers DJ (2004) ‘Floral resources used by the South Australian apiary industry.’ Publication No. 04/089. (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation: Canberra)

Pryor LD, Byrne OR (1969) Variation and taxonomy in Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Silvae Genetica 18, 64–71. open url image1

Pryor LD , Johnson LAS (1981) Eucalyptus, the universal Australian. In ‘Ecological biogeography of Australia. Vol. 1’. (Ed. A. Keast) pp. 501–536. (Junk: The Hague, The Netherlands)

Slee AV , Brooker MIH , Duffy S , West J (2006) ‘EUCLID – Eucalypts of Australia.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne) [CD ROM]

Steane DA, Nicolle D, McKinnon GE, Vaillancourt RE, Potts BM (2002) Higher-level relationships among the eucalypts are resolved by ITS-sequence data. Australian Systematic Botany 15, 49–62.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Zacharin RE (1978) ‘Emigrant eucalypts: gum trees as exotics.’ (Melbourne University Press: Melbourne)