Corymbia; ghosts, blood and spots!

This is my first post for a while as we've been exploring the wonders of south-western Queensland, as I mentioned in my last post. We brought back plenty of material for future posts, but for now I'm going to offer something different while I sort out my photos. I also thought this one might be a relatively easy one with which to ease myself back in (my mind is still back with big blue skies, huge horizons, narrow roads stretching out of sight ahead, and surprises round each corner). However, as usually happens in such a situation, it's been a lot more work than I'd realised, as I discovered how much I didn't know and, with new knowledge, came across a couple of misidentifications in my photos. All for the good, I know.

Today I'm talking about an important group of eucalypts, including a few pretty familiar ones, which are no longer called Eucalyptus. That might sound contradictory, but in fact 'eucalypt' is a general name to describe any of the trees that have at some time been called Eucalyptus; they remain as closely related to each other and as instantly recognisable as they ever were.

Flowers of Red Bloodwood Corymbia gummifera, here at Tianjara Falls in Morton
National Park inland from Nowra, south coast NSW. There are a couple of issues here
that are relevant to today's post, the first being the way the flowers are clustered. You may not be
able to see it well here, but the relatively flattened shape of each flower cluster is caused
by the different lengths of the flower stems within the cluster. The lower stems are longer
than the higher ones, so the overall shape is flat, or only slightly domed. This, in botanical
terms, is a corymb, which is different from the way in which other eucalypt flowers grow,
hence the genus name - more on that in a couple of paragraphs time!

The other thing to note in the above caption is the name of the tree. 'gummifera', naturally enough, means 'bearing gum' and while we may not think this remarkable, many early Europeans who encountered eucalypts certainly did. In 1688 the English pirate-naturalist William Dampier reported from the far north-west of Australia that "the Gum distils out of the knots or cracks that are in the bodies of  the trees". Governor Arthur Phillip, who commanded the first British colony on what is now Sydney Harbour, used the term 'gum-tree' in 1778; he collected this gum, and send samples back home, doubtless to have its commercial potential tested. The German botanist Joseph Gaertner first used the name gummifera in a description, but it was Daniel Solander, who sailed with Cook and Banks in 1770 and became the first university-trained botanist to land in Australia, who formally described it in 1788. 

However more than 200 years later the respected botanist Lawrie Johnson of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, along with colleague Ken Hill, grasped a very large and forbidding nettle indeed when he tackled the problem of what to do about Eucalyptus. The problem, in a gum-nut shell, is that the differences between Eucalyptus and Angophora are no greater than between the various sub-groups of Eucalyptus. Logic demanded either incorporating Angophora into Eucalyptus, or splitting Eucalyptus; Lawrie boldly chose the latter. Before his sad death from cancer in 1997 he had got as far as separating out the bloodwoods, spotted gums and ghost gums as Corymbia; they remain in most books now as the only other non-Eucalyptus eucalypt. There are four sub-groups within Corymbia; in simple terms they are the red bloodwoods (59 species), the yellow bloodwoods (11 species), the ghost gums (24 species) and the spotted gums (3 species). (There are also three outliers, but we won't worry about them today). 

That's about as technical as I'm going to get here - for the rest I'll introduce members of the four main groups and we can just admire them! Many of the bloodwoods, including those most familiar in the south-east, readily 'bleed' sap on the trunk, often encouraged by the gnawing of glider possums.

Desert Bloodwood Corymbia opaca near Windorah, south-west Queensland,
'bleeding' copiously, though not to any detriment! This species was separated
from the much more widespread C. terminalis (see below) in 1985, though
not everyone accepts the distinction.

Many of this group have plated bark, like this one, though not all.

Red Bloodwood again, near Narooma on the NSW south coast.

Pink Bloodwood C. intermedia (like most tree 'colour' names, the pink refers
to the timber, not that I've ever seen it). This one was in the Coffs Harbour Botanic
Gardens on the north coast of NSW, though it is an original tree.

These last two species are trees of the temperate south-east, though a couple of other well-known red bloodwoods are from the south-west (though are not called 'bloodwood').

Red-flowering Gum Corymbia ficifolia, in Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens.
This small tree has a very small natural distribution in the south-west of Western Australia,
mostly along roadsides, but is very widely planted in gardens and road verges across
southern Australia. This photo shows the corymbs fairly clearly.

Marri C. calophylla, Darling Ranges near Perth. This is a very impressive
tree which dominates some dry forests in the south-west, often along with
Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata. Its big hard fruits (very like those of the Red-flowering Gum
above) are key food for the Red-capped Parrot and the Endangered Baudin's
(or, more helpfully, Long-billed) Black Cockatoo, both of
which extract the tiny seeds with a thin elongated upper mandible.

Others, like the Desert Bloodwood above, are restricted to the arid inland and the seasonally dry north.

Inland, or Desert Bloodwood C. terminalis, above and below. The one above
is in Currawinya NP, in south-west Queensland, and the one below in
Boodjamulla/Lawn Hill NP in monsoonal north-west Queensland,
with torrential summer rains and arid winters.

I'm especially fond of this species, and I see it on any inland trip to the northern half
of Australia, in four of the five mainland states and the Northern Territory.

 Another closely related desert bloodwood was only recognised in 1995.

Sand Dune Bloodwood C. chippendalei, Great Sandy Desert, central eastern WA.
This one only grows on dunes in the central and western deserts.
It was named for George Chippendale, an expert on plants of the Northern
Territory and later the author of the mighty eucalypts volume of the Flora of Australia.
He was also a lovely person who delighted in sharing his knowledge with others.

Corymbia deserticola (another 'Desert Bloodwood' though without a formal English name)
also growing in the Great Sandy Desert. It has a similar distribution to the Sand Dune
Bloodwood, but a wider range of habitats though is usually found on the plains.

Other red bloodwoods grow only in the seasonal tropics.

Small-fruited Bloodwood C. dichromophloia, Boodjamulla/Lawn Hill NP.
This common bloodwood is found from north-west Queensland to the Kimberley.
It is smooth-barked except for the base of the trunk, to which flakes of old bark adhere.

(Another) Red Bloodwood C. erythrophloia, Undara Lava Tubes, north Queensland.
This very striking tree grows in eastern tropical Queensland.

The yellow bloodwoods are much fewer in number. This one is common, and especially conspicuous.

Yellow Jacket C. leichhardtii, Salvator Rosa NP, south-central Queensland
(part of the Carnarvon Range), above and below. This is its southern-most extent,
but it extends north on the western slopes to Mareeba and is readily seen on a
drive through the Queensland tropical woodlands, where sandy soil overlays sandstone.

And one familiar to readers from the Sydney region, is Yellow Bloodwood C. eximia, also found only on sandstone, from Nowra to the Hunter Valley.

Yellow Bloodwood, here at Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains
(and I really must get a better photo of this species!).

There are just three species in the spotted gum group, including the well-known Queensland endemic Lemon-scented Gum C. citriodora - well known because it is widely planted in southern Australia. I used to walk to university in Adelaide through a large stand of them in Botanic Park. However further south by far the best known spotted gum is, wait for it... Spotted Gum C. maculata, which grows all along the NSW coast south from Taree. It is a lovely and readily recognisable tree for its blotchy bark, caused by grey flakes of old bark sticking to the trunk. Here are three Spotted Gum portraits from the south coast of NSW - I'm very partial to them!

Spotted Gum forest along a walk to the beach, Murramarang NP.

Tall old Spotted Gum near Nowra - I couldn't get far enough away to fit
it all into a conventional photo.

Spotted Gum forest with typical understorey of Burrawang cycads,
Macrozamia communis, near Nelligen.

Finally, the last group of Corymbia comprises the wonderful ghost gums, which I blogged about in more detail seven years ago here. By far the best known is the Ghost Gum of central Australia, from eastern WA to western Queensland.

A Ghost Gum C. aparrerinja, estimated to be at least 300 years old, at Trephina Gorge,
eastern Tjoritja (MacDonnell Ranges). For more photos of this very beautiful species,
and some interesting information I was given about the origin of the unusual
species name, see the link immediately above.

Ghost Gum by the road west of Windorah, south-west Queensland.
This must be close to its south-eastern limits.
(It occurs slightly further east to the north of here, at Barcaldine.)

Other ghost gums occur in the tropics.

Rough-leaved Ghost Gum C. aspera, Boodjamulla/Lawn Hill NP. The species is
found across the northern tropics from here in north-west Queensland to the Kimberley.

Ancient C. blakei in Bladensburg NP in central Queensland, growing on
a substrate too hard to penetrate with its roots! It is restricted to this part of Queensland.

Two others in the ghost gum group are very striking trees from eastern Queensland, though to my frustration my photos don't do them justice. Oh well, I'll just have to go back!

Dallachy's Ghost Gum C. dallachiana, Barcaldine. This is a young tree (and drought-affected)
and doesn't give much indication of how handsome it will grow up to be!

And we end with another favourite of mine, the stately Carbeen, or Moreton Bay Ash
C. tessellaris. Heading north we encounter this tall white tree with a rough grey or black
bark stocking in northern NSW, and it continues right up to Cape York.

Well, if this topic didn't interest you much, you won't be still reading! For those who are, thank you for persevering and I hope you learnt something of interest (I certainly have) and at the least enjoyed some of the trees themselves. Next time I'll be back with a more general posting, almost certainly based on one of the lovely parks we've recently spent time in, in south-western Queensland.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 8 AUGUST

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High in the Blue Mountains; Blackheath #2 - plants

In my last post I introduced the lovely Rough Track cabins on the edge of the Blue Mountains National Park, just outside of Blackheath at the top of the mountains. I promised to conclude this brief series with some plants that we've seen around there in a couple of visits - a couple of years ago in mid-summer drought, and very recently in a wet spring. There's a lot going on here at the moment so this one will be basically just a  photo essay of some lovely flowers. 

Most of these photos were taken either within the Rough Tracks property or in the immediate vicinity. Apart from the first picture all were taken in heathy understorey, mostly in dry forest. 

Despite the name Black Wattle (and the fluffy flowers), this inhabitant of wet gullies
is not an acacia but Callicoma serratifolia, a member of the old Gondwanan family Cunoniaceae.
However it was named 'wattle' for the same reason as Australian acacias were. It grew
profusely around the new Sydney colony in the late 18th century, and its stems were
cut and woven into frames ('wattled' to use the old English term), then covered in mud
('daubed') to make walls for basic houses. Sydney's Black Wattle Bay is name for this plant.

Flannel Flower Actinotus helianthi is related to carrots and parsley in the Family Apiaceae.
If you enlarge the picture you'll see lots of small flowers clustered together in the centre,
surrounded by white bracts to attract pollinating insects; it's the same principle
as that adopted by the paper daisies. The bracts are soft and furry - ie flannelly!

Pale Pink Boronia Boronia floribunda; both names are appropriate as the lovely pale
pink flowers are indeed abundant. Both foliage and flowers are scented. It's a funny
thing about the scent of boronia foliage; some people find it pleasant, to
others it can be quite rank.

Peas of course are plentiful (and I've not forgotten I've promised to post a second installment on this very important family to follow this recent post). Here are a couple of representatives.

An 'eggs and bacon' Dillwynia retorta - one of many!

A bush pea Pultenea glabra.

Myrtaceae is another prominent family in any southern Australian bushland, not least because it contains the eucalypts which nearly always dominate. Here are a couple of attractive Myrtaceous shrubs.

Fringe Myrtle Calytrix tetragona is found well beyond the mountains too, but is
always a welcome sight. The flowers (usually pink rather than white, as here)
flaunt long misty stamens...

... but after the petals drop the red sepals are still striking.
This impressive stand was in the Megalong Valley, just down the hill from Blackheath.

Pink Kunzea Kunzea capitata

Family Proteaceae is probably best and most widely known for banksias, grevilleas and hakeas, but here are a couple of others which are integral parts of the Blue Mountains understorey. 

Broad-leaved Drumsticks Isopogon anemonifolius; the 'drumsticks' name refers to the
spherical cones of seeds which form after the numerous flowers drop.

Mountain Devil Lambertia formosa; this name could well refer to the wickedly sharp
leaf tips, but in fact it's for the distinctly devil's head seed cases (below).

This devil looks decidedly grumpy - perhaps because it had been recently burnt.

Goodeniaceae is a medium-sized family of some 400 mostly Australian species, 80% of which are in either Goodenia, Scaevola or Dampiera though I suspect they are often overlooked. Here are a couple of common members of the Blue Mountains understorey.

Goodenia bellidifolia, an erect herb which often flowers profusely after a fire.
See next caption for its name origin.

Blue Dampiera D. stricta, a lovely splash of colour, and named for the botanist-pirate
William Dampier. A lovely juxtaposition with Goodenia whose name honours the
Reverend Samuel Goodenough, Bishop of Carlisle, treasurer of the Linnean Society
and wowser of considerable note.

From here on - at least until we get to the orchids! - we're looking at just one example of each of several families.

Sourbush Choretrum candollei, family Santalaceae is a hemiparasite. That is, while
it photosynthesises (mostly via the stems) to trap its own energy from sunlight
in the form of sugars, it takes water and minerals from the roots of surrounding plants.
The tiny flowers are so abundant that the display is striking.

The fruits of Sourbush (from which it presumably derives its name) are
much larger than the flowers which produce them.

Silky Purple-flag Patersonia sericea, a large iris of the family Iridaceae,
Each flower lasts only a few hours, but many are produced on successive sunny days.

Mitre Weed Mitrasacme pilosa; a not very conspicous herb,
but its four-petalled flowers are distinctive.

Twisted Mat-rush Lomandra obliqua, whose oddly contorted foliage is unmistakeable.
Currently in the family Asparagaceae, though it has been included in the Xanthorrhoea family
and its own family Lomandraceae, among others

Lobelia dentata, a spectacular little flower that it's easy to be anthropomorphic about.

Slender Violet Hybanthus monopetalus, a pretty and delicate little violet which
appears to have only one petal. In reality it's just that the other four petals are very small.

Strap-leaf Bloodroot Haemodorum planifolium, Family Haemodoraceae.
Curiously this is also the kangaroo paw family though the resemblance isn't
immediately obvious. In Australia it is the only genus in the family that isn't
restricted to Western Australia.

Rush Lily Sowerbaea juncea is a somewhat 'scruffy' lily - due to the crowded flower
head - which is found in wet sandy sites in heath.

Which brings us to the orchids, for which my fondness is no secret. To avoid any suggestions of favouritism I'll present them in reverse alphabetical order - and of course it's purely coincidental that I thus leave my two favourites to last...

Veined Sun Orchid Theylmitra venosa. This slightly faded specimen was at the end of its
flowering period towards the end of December. It likes wet feet, in bogs and below cliffs
though this one was by the edge of the track down to Grand Canyon near Rough Tracks cabins.

In late October the distinctive tall stems of Spotted Sun Orchids Thelymitra ixioides
were everywhere, hundreds of them, including around our cabin.
However in the absence of sun this genus of orchids is most loath to open
and it took until almost the end of our stay to find a single partly open flower.

The only (sort of) open Spotted Sun Orchid that we found.

Tall Leek Orchid Prasophyllum elatum - and indeed it is!
This one, which we saw from the car while driving along a bumpy track, was
over a metre high. Many leek orchids flower most strongly following
hot summer fires, and both this species and the next were only found by
us in such situations.

Short-lip Leek Orchid Prasophyllum brevilabre, a much more
modestly proportioned orchid, generally less than 20cm tall. The flowers
are tiny but, being snowy white, are surprisingly conspicuous.

Tiger Orchid Diuris sulphurea (it also goes by several other common names),
a common and widespread orchid (it was a bumper year for them around Canberra too)
which we encountered throughout the high Blue Mountains.

Red Beard Orchid Calochilus paludosus. My affinity for this wonderful orchid will be evident
to anyone who knows me, though my own beard long since faded from red.
It was a good year for these beauties in the mountains too.

And finally, a truly magnificent orchid with an odd name - until you see it, and then how could it be called anything but a Flying Duck?

Caleana major is named for George Caley, an early naturalist-explorer of the
Blue Mountains who worked for Sir Joseph Banks. For those who speak orchidese,
the labellum, which is at the bottom of most orchid flowers - eg the beard in the previous
example - forms the duck's head here. The strap holding it (ie the duck's neck) nods in the
breeze. A male sawfly is attracted by the scent of the flower which mimics that of a
female sawfly in an amorous state, lands on the labellum which snaps shut and
temporarily traps the wasp. In his struggles to back out, he encounters the pollen-bearing
column. The reason for all this detail becomes obvious in the next picture.

We saw the sawfly, genus Lophyrotoma, struggling in the flower but sadly by the time I
retrieved my camera he was out. However he was clearly exhausted by his ordeal and spent
some time sitting on the triggered flower (which would soon reset). The pollinium - a sticky
package of pollen - is seen stuck to his back. It was an exciting moment; I'd never managed
a successful photo of an orchid pollinator before. The fabulous feathery antennae have
a big surface area to boost their sensitivity to the scent of pheromones.

The Blue Mountains are all you've heard - and more if you're interested in natural history, which is a fair assumption given that you're reading this. Go and see for yourself, and you could do a lot worse than to try the Rough Track cabins. Thanks for reading.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 10 DECEMBER.
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