Did you know that last Thursday was National Eucalypt Day?
If there is one plant that has a love hate relationship with the public it would be the Gum Tree or Eucalyptus.
Yet the Eucalypt is an Australian Icon that gave the shade by a billabong to the Jolly Swagman, motivated Albert Namatjira to paint those stunning outback landscape paintings and provided May Gibb’s inspiration for the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie story. And let’s not forget the Koala’s in the old Gum tree.
Eucalypts are predominately native to Australia but they can also be found growing naturally in a couple of other countries including Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea. In fact of the 850 species of Eucalyptus there are only 15 species found outside Australia.
Eucalyptus trees are Australia’s most common tree species and can grow up to 50 metres. California, South America and India have all cultivated eucalyptus trees for paper, insect repellents, chest rubs and cough drops.
In recent years Eucalypts have been reclassified from Eucalyptus to Corymbia, Angophora, Stockwellia, Allosyncarpia, Eucalyptopsis and Arillastrum.
As part of National Eucalypt Day is the vote for Eucalypt of the Year. This year 25 Eucalyptus species were put forward as well as other Eucalyptus species.
And the 2023 Eucalypt of the Year is the Sydney Red Gum or Angophora costata.
The Sydney Red Gum is a striking evergreen tree with twisted pink, red to pale grey trunk and branches and in spring it sheds its old brown bark to reveal salmon pink new bark.
Throughout Summer very showy white flowers are produced in large bunches. The foliage of the Sydney Red Gum is very attractive with red new leaf growth turning green as it matures.
It is a hardy tree that can grow up to 20m high is a sunny location and is tolerate to both sea breezes and short periods of drought.
In second place is the beautiful the Lemon Scented Gum or Eucalyptus citriodora. It is a local native of Central Queensland and is known worldwide for its alluring lemon fragrance of its foliage.
The Lemon Scented Gum is grown around the world. This striking Gum Tree with a smooth white to pink trunk can grow to 30m high and has is best suited to large blocks of land or parks to even as avenue plantings.
Kershaw Gardens has one of the best displays of the Lemon Scented Gums growing around the Windmill near the Knight Street Car Park. In fact the Kershaw Gardens has a number of beautiful Eucalypt species including the Swamp Bloodwood, or Eucalyptus ptychocarpa.
Of all of the Eucalypts flowering this time of the year, nothing can match the floral beauty of the Swamp Bloodwood, or Eucalyptus ptychocarpa.
Forever immortalised in May Gibbs classic of the Gumnut Babes. Swamp Bloodwood is a small tree usually growing to between 4 and 8 m high. The flowers are in clusters ranging in colour from white to purple, with the most common colour being that of pink.
The Swamp Bloodwood is also recognised as having the largest leaves and some of the largest gumnuts amongst all Eucalypts.
Then there is stately River Red Gum or Eucalyptus camaldulensis. This tree forms the magnificent, upper skyline of the Rockhampton riverbank, with several specimens probably having seen Rockhampton grow from a cluster of shanties to the vibrant city that it is now. Its natural root structure makes it another valuable tree for the stabilising of the riverbank. Its trunk colouring can vary throughout the year from blue-grey to almost milky white. There are a number of the stately Eucalypt growing within the Kershaw Gardens.
Friends of the Gardens
Would you like to be able to garden but you might live in a unit or have a very small block of land? Did you know that the Rockhampton Botanic has a Friends of the Gardens group?
The Friends of the Gardens is always looking for more volunteers, so if you would like keep gardening or just looking for a nice way to spend a few hours with like minded people you can contact Friends of the Gardens president Linda Brown 0438 263 288.
Today the Friends of the Gardens is conducting a cash-only plant sale at Council’s Nursery at Kershaw Gardens which is located via Charles street. The sale will operate from 8am to noon.
