Corymbia ficifolia

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Corymbia ficifolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Corymbia
Species:
C. ficifolia
Binomial name
Corymbia ficifolia
Synonyms[1]
  • Eucalyptus ficifolia
    F.Muell.
  • Eucalyptus ficifolia var. carmina Blakely
Little wattlebird feeding on a flowering specimen

Corymbia ficifolia, commonly known as red flowering gum,[2] is a species of small tree that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, egg-shaped to broadly lance-shape adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, bright red, pink or orange flowers and urn-shaped fruit. It has a restricted distribution in the wild but is one of the most commonly planted ornamental eucalypts.

Description

Corymbia ficifolia is a straggly tree that typically grows to a height of 10 m (33 ft) and forms a

capsule 20–42 mm (0.79–1.65 in) long and 18–30 mm (0.71–1.18 in) wide with the valves enclosed in the fruit.[2][3][4][5]

The other two bloodwoods found in the south-west of Western Australia are C. haemotoxylon and marri (C. calophylla). Unlike C. ficifolia, they have tessellated bark rather than fibrous bark.

Taxonomy

Red-flowering gum was first formally described in 1860 by

Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[6][7] In 1995, Ken Hill and Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson changed the name to Corymbia ficifolia.[5][8]

In 2009, Parra-O and colleagues published a combined analysis of nuclear rDNA (ETS + ITS) and morphological characters published to clarify relationships within the genus Corymbia. C. ficifolia was shown to comprise a natural group with two other Western Australian species C. calophylla and C. haematoxylon. They classified the group as section Calophyllae within the subgenus Corymbia.[9]

The botanical Latin

specific epithet ficifolia is from ficus meaning "fig" and folium, "a leaf", referring to the similarity of its leaves to some species of Ficus.[7][10]

The

type specimen was collected from around the Broke Inlet by George Maxwell.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Corymbia ficifolia grows in sandy soil in low forest on slopes and is restricted to a sub-coastal distribution south-east of Perth, east of Mount Frankland, Walpole and the Stirling Range.[2][11]

Use in horticulture

Red-flowering gum is one of the most widely cultivated of all eucalypts, both in Australia and overseas. It is best suited to temperate districts with low summer rainfall and is rarely reliable on the east coast of Australia. In suitable climates it is moderately fast-growing and is often larger and more vigorous in cultivation than in the wild. Eucalypts are difficult to grow from cuttings and are usually grown from seed. As a result, flower colour cannot be guaranteed, although some small forms have become available as grafted plants.[12]

In nature Corymbia ficifolia prefers infertile, sandy soils but it is readily adaptable to most temperate locations, provided it is not exposed to severe frost or sustained tropical damp. It is an ideal street tree as it is hardy, moderately fast growing, and rarely grows large enough to require pruning. The largest known single-stemmed tree of this species in the world (216.5 cm diameter) is located on Princes Street in Hamilton, New Zealand.[13] Because of its big and lovely colourful flowers, genetic improvement for cold resistance in Dublin area in Ireland is being carried out by collecting seeds from Western and Southern Australia in the coldest parts of Australia where it grows. In Ireland most of the plants were killed by severe frosts but the surviving shoots have been kept by tissue culture.[14]

Gallery

Features of the red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia)
  • Adult leaves
    Adult leaves
  • Buds
    Buds
  • Inflorescence
    Inflorescence
  • Fruit
    Fruit
  • Trunk bark
    Trunk bark

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Corymbia ficifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Corymbia ficifolia". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ Dean Nicolle (30 April 2010). "An illustrated guide to Australia's gum blossoms". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  4. ^ Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus ficifolia". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  5. ^
    doi:10.7751/telopea19953017
    .
  6. ^ "Eucalyptus ficifolia". APNI. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b von Mueller, Ferdinand (1860). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae (Volume 2). Vol. 2. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 85. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Corymbia ficifolia". APNI. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  9. doi:10.1071/SB09028
    .
  10. ^ "Corymbia ficifolia". Government of Western Australia: Botanic Gardens and Park Authority. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  11. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
    .
  12. ^ "Corymbia ficifolia". Australian Native Plant Society (Australia). Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Tree Information". The Zealand Tree Register. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  14. ^ "Climatic zone plants". Earlscliffe. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
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