Gum trees at my place - Corymbia citriodora

Ok, so it's not a Eucalyptus but it's still a gum. Corymbia citriodora is also commonly known as Spotted Gum. It was previously classed as Eucalyptus maculata and while there is still debate surrounding the reclassification of some Eucalypts, it's now mostly known as Corymbia. I'm not going to go into depth about the difference in Eucalyptus, Angophora and Corymbia here (in this post) but if you weren't very familiar with the Spotted Gum and you came across it, you'd think it was a Eucalyptus (which it is or at least was but just not classified that way anymore).

Spotted Gum is a dominant species on my property. It's a familiar gum tree right across western Brisbane and quite easy to identify. Spotted Gum is a grey, tall and smooth barked tree. It has dimples all over its trunk, which look like someone has pressed their thumb into the trunk numerous times. It's mostly a very erect tree, with a fairly open canopy. It's present on shallow, stony soils, which makes it abundant throughout western Brisbane. The flowers and leaves are a very important food source for wildlife. It's a really beautiful gum tree and I consider the tree a major part of identifying this area as my home.

 

You can see in the photo above, this Spotted Gum is rather straight, tall and the limbs start a far way up the trunk.

 

Dimple like impressions are obvious all over the trunk. Each year, generally in Spring, it sheds its bark in patches.

 

 

 Close up view of the dimples.

 

Fairly open canopy.

 

So if you are not familiar with this gum tree, you very well might have one in your garden, street or local area, especially if you live in Western Brisbane.