Rate's Tingle Eucalyptus brevistylis

Eucalyptus brevistylis (or Rates Tingle) is a rough-barked tree that typically grows to a height of 25 to 50 metres in sandy loam, or sandy soils.

It is Endemic to Western Australia, and occurs naturally in a restricted area east and northeast of Walpole, typically in lowland sites in wet sclerophyll forests – i.e. in high rainfall areas.

It is listed in WA as a rare species, category 4. This is the category just below being considered endangered.

Flowering has been recorded in February and April–May. The flowers are white.

The fruit is a woody almost spherical with a small opening - 6–10 mm long and 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) wide.

The trees form what is called a lignotuber. This is a woody swelling at the base of the tree below or just above the ground. It contains ‘adventitious’ buds i.e. new buds normally appear much higher in the tree but these ones are a useful adaption that allow the tree to develop new shoots if the top of the plant is breaks off or is burnt.

It is one of are three species of "tingle”. The word tingle is a forestry term likely of Aboriginal origin referring to rough-barked trees.

Its common name related to a forester Jack Rate, who argued that it was a different tingle species from the other two – see below. Jack was the first forester in the Walpole region, and work in ther industry in the 1940s and 50s ( see this link for more in formation - https://www.robertonfray.com/2022/04/29/who-was-jack-rate/ ). It was formally recognised as a separate species in 1974 in an article published by, M.I.H Brooker.

The Flora Australia website notes the following -

“Two species—Rate's Tingle (E. brevistylis) and Red Tingle (E. jacksonii )—belong to subgenus Eucalyptus, differing in floral and seedling features. The third tingle, E. guilfoylei, is called Yellow Tingle. Eucalyptus guilfoylei is taxonomically quite unrelated (Eucalyptus subgenus Cruciformes) and differs in having terminal inflorescences, buds with an operculum scar and ovules in 4–6 rows on the placenta.”

These tree were planted in the Park in 1984.

The key references for Rates Tingle:

https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Eucalyptus%20brevistylis – Flora Australia

https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/5568 - DBCA

Brooker, M.I.H. (1974). Six new species of Eucalyptus from Western Australia. Nuytsia 1(4): 297–314.