Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority - Eucalyptus megacornuta

Common name: Warty Yate

Family: MYRTACEAE

View image slideshow

Origin of Scientific Name

Eucalyptus: (Greek) Eu – well, and calyptos – covered; referring to the operculum or cap which covers the stamens in bud.

megacornuta: (Latin) megas – very big, and cornutus – horn-shaped; referring to its bud caps

Description

Eucalyptus megacornuta is a mallet, characterised by a single trunk, erect habitat and dense crown, often occurring in pure stands. This species can grow to a height of between four and twelve metres in dense stands on the slopes of hills and gullies in gravelly clays. Native to Western Australia, the natural distribution of E. megacornuta is restricted to the Ravensthorpe Range and near the Hammersley Inlet in the eastern part of Fitzgerald River National Park.

The Warty Yate has smooth and shiny bark that ranges in colour from silver-grey to pinkish to orange-tan, and shreds in strips. It has glossy lance-shaped leaves and produces buds with large finger-like warty bud caps that children love to imagine as witch's fingers. It belongs to a small group of eucalypts endemic to the south coast of WA that also have long horn-shaped bud caps. Other species in this group include E. cornuta, E. talyuberlup, E. newbeyi, E. burdettiana, E. lehmannii and E. conferruminata.

Flowering occurs in winter and spring with large yellow-green flowers that are highly attractive to nectar feeding birds and bees. The large woody fruit of the tree are bell-shaped to funnel-shaped and its seed pods are often used in flower arrangements.

The species is fast growing, rapidly developing a moderately dense canopy, and flowers from a young age. As such, it is widely grown across southern Australia as an amenity or screening tree. The abundance of nectar produced by the flowers also makes it a great tree choice for apiarists.

Horticultural tips

Its fast growth rate and dense canopy, even on seasonally very dry sites, make this tree ideal for rapidly establishing shelter and screening.
Grows well in full or part sun and is drought tolerant once established.
Can be grown from seed, best sown in spring. Seed is available from commercial seed suppliers.
Lacks a lignotuber (the swelling at the base the plant that contains dormant vegetative buds) so can be killed by fire or cutting it back into the older wood.

For more horticultural tips view our Plant Notes section.