Eucalyptus olida
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Eucalyptus olida, commonly known as strawberry gum[1] or sometimes as forest berry,[2]Template:Rp is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales, Australia. It has rough, flaky and fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to fifteen or more, white flowers and barrel-shaped or bell-shaped fruit.
Description
Eucalyptus olida is a tree that typically grows to a height of Template:Cvt and forms a lignotuber. It has thick, rough, fibrous and flaky bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth white or grey bark that is shed in long ribbons from branches less than Template:Cvt in diameter. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull bluish green, egg-shaped leaves that are Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of dull to slightly glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved, Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt wide tapering to a petiole Template:Cvt long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of between seven and fifteen or more on an unbranched peduncle Template:Cvt long, the individual buds on pedicels Template:Cvt long. Mature buds are oval, about Template:Cvt long and Template:Cvt wide with a rounded or conical operculum. Flowering has been recorded in February and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, barrel-shaped or bell-shaped capsule with the valves near rim level.[3][4][5]
Taxonomy and naming
Eucalyptus olida was first formally described in 1990 by Lawrie Johnson and Ken Hill in the journal Telopea.[5][6] The specific epithet (olida) is from the Latin olidus, meaning "smelling" or "rank", referring to the odour of the leaves when crushed.[4]
Distribution and habitat
This eucalypt is restricted to the Gibraltar Range National Park and nearby Timbarra Plateau, where it grows in forest and woodland in shallow soil derived from granite.[3][4]
Uses
Essential oils
The leaves of E. olida are distilled for their crystalline essential oils used in flavouring and perfumery. The leaf oil is 98% methyl cinnamate and yield is 2-6% of fresh leaf weight.[7] Extracts from the leaves in hexane, methanol and ethyl acetate solvents have high anti-oxidant activity.[2]Template:Rp
Use in Food
The dried, ground leaves of E. olida are also used as a complementary or enhancing spice in bushfood cooking, with a flavour described as sweet, aromatic, and a mix of berry and passionfruit.[8][9]
Gallery
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Juvenile foliage
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Leaves in small steam distillation unit
References
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- ↑ Boland, D.J., Brophy, J.J., and A.P.N. House, Eucalyptus Leaf Oils, 1991, Template:ISBN
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