Ellura Sanctuary, Swan Reach, SA, 5354
                      
 
Stat'NotesThumbnails: 228.   22 native species listed, with 14 from Ellura
Plants (Plantae) - Land Plants (Charophyta) - Land Plants (Equisetopsida) - Trees
Carrots
Apiales
  (2 species
    1 from Ellura)
Pittosporum
Pittosporaceae
  (2 species
    1 from Ellura)
Native Apricot
Pittosporum angustifolium
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Other Common NameWeeping Pittosporum

Always had a soft spot for these. They are easy to recognise when in fruit as they are so unique and the common name represents them perfectly.
A small, narrow tree, with long pale green leaves (that have a "hooked" pointed tip) and yellow/orange fruit; apricot in colour.
We have found their leaves to be very similar to E. longifolia (which we have hundreds of) so identification has been difficult.
The bark is pale, smooth & has small white horizontal lines on it (when younger) and is generally single trunked. E. longifolia is dark, rough, without the lines and is generally multi-trunked.
We only found one fruit this year (2012), so the extensive bird life we have at Ellura must have been enjoying them!
Unlike an apricot, the fruit splits on the tree to reveal multiple seeds, rather than a single stone.
The tree is often found with many (apparent) seedlings around it. Darren Schmitke tells us that they can sucker for up to 200m! So the seedlings may not be seedlings at all, but part of the same plant, growing from a damaged root. These used to be called Pittosporum phylliraeoides, but the name was changed to the current one. However, it's not a synonym because there is another plant called Pittosporum phylliraeoides now (these are coastal, where as P angustifolium is generally on the interior).
🔍In Flower
In Flower, other side
Seedling / Sucker
Small Tree
Damaged Small Tree recovering
Pseudo Grove ?
Structure
Leaf size
Leaves
Buds
Bud About to Open
New Flower, front
🔍Mature Flowers
Flower, back
Flower Finishing, Profile
Capsule starting in the flower
Unripe, Green, Capsule
Capsule, Ripening, Yellow, ~10mm wide
🔍Scattered Capsules in a tree
Capsule
Capsule, Starting to Open
🔍Capsule split showing seed, ~12mm long
Seed dispersed
Carrots
Apiales
  (2 species
    1 from Ellura)
Pittosporum
Pittosporaceae
  (2 species
    1 from Ellura)
Sweet Pittosporum
Pittosporum undulatum


iNaturalist
If
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Thank you John Tann for confirming the id of this species for us
 
🔍Leaves
Beeches
Fagales
  (2 species
    0 from Ellura)
She-oak
Casuarinaceae
  (2 species
    0 from Ellura)
Slaty Sheoak
Allocasuarina muelleriana ssp muelleriana


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NameSlaty Oak-bush

Thank you Asimakis Patitsas for identifying this species for us

The fact this has cones means it's a female as these are dioecious plants.
We thought this was Allocasuarina pusilla, but Asimakis had a second look and said "they have stalks and conical tips". The stalks are also called pendancles.
🔍Leaves
🔍Cones
🔍Cone Peduncle
🔍Pointed Cone Tip
Beeches
Fagales
  (2 species
    0 from Ellura)
She-oak
Casuarinaceae
  (2 species
    0 from Ellura)
Drooping Sheoak
Allocasuarina verticillata


iNaturalist
RA
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Other Common NamesDrooping She-oak, Coast She-oak

Thank you Asimakis Patitsas & Alan Dandie for identifying this species for us
 
🔍Fruit & Leaf
Mints
Lamiales
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Figwort
Scrophulariaceae
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Weeping Emubush
Eremophila longifolia
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Other Common NameBerrigan

A small round tree with weeping habit.
Beautiful pale red trumpet flowers, typical of Eremophilas.
Seedling
Wee Weeping Tree
Small Tree
Medium Tree
Medium Tree
Large Tree In Full Bloom
Habit
Bud
Bud, Leaf & Stem
Bud & Branch
Bud, Flower & Leaf
Flower Profile
Flower Front
A Mass of Flowers
New Fruit
Dried Fruit
Mints
Lamiales
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Figwort
Scrophulariaceae
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Native Juniper
Myoporum insulare


iNaturalist
RA
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Other Common NameCommon Boobialla

Thank you BaronSamedi for confirming the id of this species for us
 
🔍Whole
🔍Leaves, Flowers
🔍Flower
Mints
Lamiales
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Figwort
Scrophulariaceae
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Mallee Sandalwood
Myoporum platycarpum ssp perbellum


iNaturalist
LC
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Thank you Ralph Foster for confirming the id of this species for us

1st Live Photo on-line:
Upright small tree with white flowers and long green leaves.
Ours all have lilac spots in the flowers, whereas many of our ssp platycarpums don't.
Our ssp perbellums flowered a bit later than ssp platycarpum.
Apparently ssp perbellum is smaller that ssp platycarpum; but we can't easily notice the difference due to different aged trees.
The easiest way we differentiated was with the flower: ssp perbellum has lobes that are longer than the flower tube, while ssp platycarpum doesn't.
It seems the bracts are longer on ssp perbellum than ssp platycarpum as well, however, we haven't seen this in the literature so don't know if it's a reliable key.
platycarpum vs perbellum
🔍Purple spots on Flower
Mints
Lamiales
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Figwort
Scrophulariaceae
  (4 species
    3 from Ellura)
Sugarwood
Myoporum platycarpum ssp platycarpum


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NamesFalse Sandalwood or Bastard Sandalwood

Thank you Tony and Jenny Dominelli for confirming the id of this species for us

Upright small tree with white flowers and long green leaves. The flowers on our trees often have brown spots, or are totally white. The bark is rough.
They have fruit that are called drupes; basically stone fruit. But the outside flesh dries to a papery skin when ripe.
Massive Tree
Small Tree
Flowering Small Tree
🔍Flowering, Growing Fallen Tree
Leaf
New Buds
Flower, Buds, Leaves, & Stems
Flowers, Buds & Leaves
Flowers & Buds
Bunch of Flowers
Flowering & Fruiting
🔍Fruiting
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
River Red Gum
Eucalyptus camaldulensis


iNaturalist
RA
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Other Common NameRiver Redgum

Thank you Tony and Jenny Dominelli & Jill Dark for confirming the id of this species for us

Huge trees that have died all along the Murray River due the locks. They need to be flooded, then dry out, to flourish. These along the Marne River are doing well. Hasn't flooded like this for 11 years, so very much needed.
🔍Trunk
🔍Flooded
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
White Mallee
Eucalyptus dumosa
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Other Common NameDumosa Mallee
 
Structure
Branch
Buds / Caps
Flower, Front
Flower, Profile
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Yorrell
Eucalyptus gracilis
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Other Common NameRed Mallee

We have thousands of Mallee trees on Ellura (we think about 6 species), but they can only be identified when flowering.
This is the first we've been able to determine. Apparently you can't identify from bark, leaves, shape or colour of the trunk.
Buds are green with varying degrees of red highlights and a round cap.
Flowers are "crinkly" and creamy white.
We've heard reports old growth Mallee trees (which we have
) can be 1,000 years old. It's hard not to admire them!
Tree
Structure, after rain
Buds & Leaf
Buds
Bud Clusters
Buds Opening
Flower, Front
Flower, Profile
Flower Cluster
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
River Box
Eucalyptus largiflorens


iNaturalist
RA
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Other Common NamesBlack Box or Swamp Box

Thank you Dr Dean Nicolle for confirming the id of this species for us
 
Young forrest
Older stand
Older stand
In flower
Tree surrounded by seedlings
Mature tree
Character
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Narrow-leaf Red Mallee
Eucalyptus leptophylla
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SynonymEucalyptus foecunda

Other Common NameNarrow leaved Red Mallee

Thank you Dr Dean Nicolle for identifying this species for us

This beautiful mallee tree was absolutely laden with flowers.
It actually smelt like honey as you walked anywhere near it.
Before Dean highlighted our error, we thought some of these photo's were E. socialis
Tree
Structure
Leaves
Bud
Bud Cluster
Buds Opening
Flower Laden
Flower Cluster
Younger Nut
Older Nut Group
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Peppermint Box
Eucalyptus odorata
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Thank you Andrew Allanson for identifying this species for us
 
Whole
New leaf
Old leaves
Early bud stems
Gum nuts
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Red Mallee
Eucalyptus oleosa


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NamesAcorn Mallee, Giant Mallee, Oily Mallee, Oleosa Mallee or Straggly Gum

Thank you Alan Dandie for confirming the id of this species for us

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN
TREE OF THE YEAR
2022
This is Fred O'Mallee, our biggest Mallee tree.
We have been wanting to id him for a year now and finally he's in flower and we've got it

Most of our Mallee's are so similar it's very hard to tell them apart. But these Giants are more easily distinguished by their size and shape.
However, you still need the caps and nut to be sure.
Fred is home to many animals. Galahs that nest in it are worried about snake attack so remove the rough bark to stop the snakes from being able to climb to their nests.
We are very proud to announce that Fred was voted South Australian Tree of the Year, 2022. Here's the official web site: 20 Metre Trees
🔍Whole
🔍Perspective (Marie at the base)
🔍Different Lighting
🔍Under
🔍Preparing to Measure the Girth
🔍Result of Galahs removing bark
🔍Bud
🔍Leaves
🔍Gumnuts
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Coastal White Mallee
Eucalyptus rugosa
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SynonymsEucalyptus anceps or Eucalyptus conglobata var anceps

Other Common NamesCong Mallee, Kangaroo Island Mallee, Kingscote Mallee, Port Lincoln Mallee or White Mallee

Identifying Eucalypts is very difficult. While we have photo's here to help people they can't be used on their own. It is important to have a printed page with physical size drawings and a specimen of the buds, caps & nuts in hand placed over the drawing.
If we ever work out a way to show photo's at real size on your computer then these photo's would be usable.
In time we plan to put a lot more comparative photo's (ie photo's with multiple specimens to directly compare size & shape). But at this stage we are flat chat just getting our species identified and a set of representative photos on the net.
Leaf
Bud Group with Caps
Younger Nut Group
Older Nut Group
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Mallee Honey-myrtle
Melaleuca acuminata ssp acuminata


iNaturalist
LC
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Similar Species: Dryland Tea-tree (Melaleuca lanceolata)
Thank you Tony and Jenny Dominelli for confirming the id of this species for us

Looks very similar to M. lanceolata. Up close they are quite different once you study them carefully:
  1. Larger leaves (this is what we first noticed)
  2. The leaves are oposite. Each pair of leaves is roughly 90 deg (at right angles) to the previous pair. But overall the leaves have a slight spin to them when looking down the branch. The M. lanceolata leaves are adjacent but still offset to each other in a pattern. As such, you can see 4 leaves in a whorl (acuminata) rather than 5 (lanceolata)
  3. The leaves have dark spots under
  4. The leaves are flat, rather than nearly cylindrical & succulent. Both are pointy with a longitudinal curve
  5. Flowering in Spring instead of Autumn
  6. We think the fruit falls off on the M. acuminata leaving spikes. It makes it appear this species doesn't fruit when found 10 months after fruiting.
  7. The fruit, or seed pods, are more cylindrical
  8. The flowers are randomly scattered, not in bottlebrushes

Buds are ~2mm wide, leaves ~2mm wide & ~6mm long
🔍Whole
Trunk & Bark
🔍Branch & Bark
Stucture
Stucture
Leaves, Back, Opposite & Rotated
Whorl of 4 leaves
Insect (Scale?) Attack on Leaves
New Buds
Buds
🔍Bud Opening
Flowers, profile
Flowers, randomly placed
Flowers, randomly placed
Fruit, end
Fruit, Remaining Spikes
Fruit, Remaining Spike
Comparison with M. lanceolata, bottom
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Dryland Tea-tree
Melaleuca lanceolata


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NamesSir Lancelot, Black Paperbark, Black Tea-tree, Moonah, Rottnest Island Teatree or Western Tea-tree

Similar Species: Mallee Honey-myrtle (Melaleuca acuminata ssp acuminata)
Thank you Ralph Foster & Alan Dandie for confirming the id of this species for us

If you live on the coast you'd have no problem understanding this species is a tree. But if you live in the semi-arid regions of Australia, you may well question this, as this species is generally stunted and most specimens are bushes.
It is a characteristic of this species to be very variable in it's habit, depending on location (particularly based on water supply).
A very common, small, round, woody shrub tree.
It has very brittle thin branches that snap easily, with crusty brown bark.
The young growth is deceptively soft, but quickly stiffens up and becomes almost prickly, certainly scratchy.
Flowers form white bottle-brushes.
Being an arid environment, our specimens are quite stunted to those seen on the coast.
The flowers show the same style as the related Eucalypts, with the stamen being the dominant part of the flower.
We were keen to see how the pods formed, so photographed this series showing the flower receptacle (base of flower) turning into the seed pod.
Tree
Tree
🔍Tree in Flower
Structure
New Growth
Young Growth
New Leaves
Whorl of 5 Leaves, ~1mm wide, ~4mm long
Stem Forming
New Buds
Buds Nearly Open
Bud Opening
Buds Opening, showing 5 petals
🔍Flower Cluster
Bunch of Flowers
Pseudo Flowers
Flower Drying
Flower Drying Further
Infertile Flowers Dying
Receptacle becoming a Seed Pod
Seed Pods
Old Pods
Myrtles
Myrtales
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Myrtle
Myrtaceae
  (11 species
    7 from Ellura)
Broom Honey-myrtle
Melaleuca uncinata


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NameBroombush

Thank you Alan Dandie for confirming the id of this species for us
 
🔍Top
🔍Lower Branch
🔍Structure
🔍Fruit
Conifers
Pinales
  (1 species
    1 from Ellura)
Cypress
Cupressaceae
  (1 species
    1 from Ellura)
Southern Cypress Pine
Callitris gracilis


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NamesCommon Cypress Pine, Lachlan Pine, Light Pine, Mallee Pine, Mountain Pine, Murray Pine, Rottnest Island Pine, Scrub Cypress Pine, Slender Pine or White Pine

Thank you Tony and Jenny Dominelli for confirming and Andrew Thornhill & Prof Mike Crisp for helping with the id of this species for us

These tall trees can be 250 years old.
We feel blessed to have a small forest of them on Ellura.
Their habit varies greatly (we suspect some of this is age) from the typical cone (pyramid) shape of a conifer tree to a broader flat top affair.
Unlike pine trees, their (female) cones are individual nuts. They can get some lumps/bumps/warts on their surface, similar to Callitris verrucosa, but no where near the same extent/quantity.
They don't have typical flowers. They have strobili which are modified leaves that contain the reproductive organs. You would not feel foolish to think the leaves where dying as they go orange/brown in spring.
We got confirmation of this when a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater flew into a Callitris tree near us and a cloud of white dust was created as it clipped the branch. The white dust was pollen!
We then took a video, tapping a "buch of flowers" showing all the pollen being released.
Mike Crisp let us know, through Andrew, that "Warts are not diagnostic for the species. Size of the cone and the growth habit are the main diagnostic. " Through DNA testing Mike has also discovered that C. preissii is not a synonym of C. gracilis; as previously though. They are in fact quite different.
Video:
Callitris gracilis: We saw smoke and thought our forrest was on fire, but it was all our Callitris trees releasing their pollen at the same time (6Mb)
Our Callitris Forest
More of our Forest
Expanding Forest
Seedling
Seedling
Small
Mature, Pyramidal (Conical)
Mature, Oval (Cylindrical)
Mature, Round
Old
Devastation
Stretch Marks
New Leaves
Scale like Leaves
Leave Branches
Male "Buds" Forming
Male "Buds" Growing
Male "Buds" Nearly Flowers
Tree in "Flower"
Bunch of "Flowers"
Strobili, ~3mm long, with Pollen Spores
Pollen Cloud, from tapping Male Flowers
Strobili, Pollen Spores Released
Old Male Flower
Early Cone
Cone Growing
Cone with Spikes
2 Cones Growing, size comparison
Young Cone
Ripe Cone
Cone Dispersed
Mass of Old Dispersed Cones
Sandalwoods
Santalales
  (2 species
    2 from Ellura)
Sandalwood
Santalaceae
  (2 species
    2 from Ellura)
Sweet Quandong
Santalum acuminatum


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NamesDesert Quandong or Sweet Quandong

Thank you Frank Prinz for confirming the id of this species for us

Another species whose leaves are similar to both E. longifolia & P. angustifolium.
The leaves are much lighter/greyer green without a proper stalk. Perhaps slightly fatter, but still long with a "hooked" pointed tip.
Quandong start as a parasite of the roots of other plants. Having established themselves we believe them to be self sufficient.
Leaves are always opposite. The fruit keeps the flower parts at the base (looks like it's peeling in 4 quadrants) until almost ripe.
Tree
Structure
Branches
Leaves
🔍Bud with Flowers
Flower, Front
Flowers, Colour
🔍Bunches of Flowers
Flower Cluster Structure
Sandalwoods
Santalales
  (2 species
    2 from Ellura)
Sandalwood
Santalaceae
  (2 species
    2 from Ellura)
Bitter Quandong
Santalum murrayanum


iNaturalist
NT
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Other Common NameMing

Thank you Ralph Foster for confirming the id of this species for us

Leaves can be in whorls of 3 and alternate up the stem. The fruit looses the flower parts early, leaving the base fairly smooth.
Whole
Trunk
Bark
Branch
Habit
Leaves
New Buds
Bud
Bud Stem
Bunch of Flowers
Perspective with Fingertips
🔍Red & Green Flowers together
🔍Red Flowers
Finished Flower Stalks
🔍Ripening Fruit
Ripening, Fruit 6 Days Later
🔍Ripe Fruit, A further 9 Days Later
Ripe Fruit, Base
Perspective, Fruit on Branch
Soapberries
Sapindales
  (1 species
    0 from Ellura)
Soapberry
Sapindaceae
  (1 species
    0 from Ellura)
Bullock Bush
Alectryon oleifolius


iNaturalist
LC
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Other Common NameRosewood

Thank you Andrew Allanson for identifying and Tony and Jenny Dominelli for confirming the id of this species for us

A small, round tree with grey bark.
Leaves are long, thin, slightly pointed and grey green.
🔍Tree
🔍Different Tree
🔍Structure
🔍Leaf
🔍Leaves
🔍Buds
🔍Buds & New Flowers
🔍Older Flowers
🔍Flowers Finished, Fruit Forming
🔍Fruit
🔍Fruit

Copyright © 1996-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved.
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