Corymbia intermedia

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Pink bloodwood
Corymbia intermedia.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Corymbia
Species:
C. intermedia
Binomial name
Corymbia intermedia
Synonyms [1]
  • Eucalyptus gummifera var. intermedia(R.T.Baker) Domin
  • Eucalyptus intermediaR.T.Baker
Flowers and foliage. Corymbia intermedia flowers and foliage 2.jpg
Flowers and foliage.
closeup of bark on trunk Corymbia intermedia trunk.jpg
closeup of bark on trunk

Corymbia intermedia, commonly known as pink bloodwood, [2] is a species of medium to tall tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and oval to barrel-shaped fruit.

Contents

Description

The pink bloodwood is tree that can reach 20–30 m (65–100 ft) in height with a 10–20 m (35–65 ft) spread. The bark is rough, tessellated, light brown to grey in colour and extends from the trunk to the branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have lance-shaped, dark green leaves that are paler on the lower surface, 80–160 mm (3.1–6.3 in) long and 20–42 mm (0.79–1.65 in) wide and petiolate. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, leathery, paler on the lower surface, lance-shaped, 80–150 mm (3.1–5.9 in) long and 13–40 mm (0.51–1.57 in) wide on a petiole 12–25 mm (0.47–0.98 in) long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets on a branched peduncle 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, each branch of the peduncle with seven buds on pedicels 2–15 mm (0.079–0.591 in) long. Mature buds are pear-shaped to oval, 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide with a conical to rounded or beaked operculum. Flowering occurs from December to March and the profuse perfumed white or cream flowers are up to 20 mm (0.79 in) in diameter. The fruit is an urn-shaped, oval or barrel-shaped capsule 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long and 8–16 mm (0.31–0.63 in) wide with a short neck and the valves enclosed in the fruit. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

The pink bloodwood resembles the red bloodwood, and the two species co-occur in central New South Wales. The latter species can be distinguished by its larger gumnuts and winged seeds. [4]

Taxonomy

Richard Thomas Baker was the first to formally describe the pink bloodwood in 1901, naming it Eucalyptus intermedia, and publishing the description in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales . [8] [9] The species name is derived from the Latin adjective intermedius and is based on the intermediate nature of the oils between the red and yellow bloodwoods. [4] In 1995, the genus Eucalyptus was split into three genera by Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, with E. intermedia transferred into Corymbia . [7] [10]

Hill and Johnson classified Corymbia intermedia in its own series Intermediae, [7] A combined analysis of nuclear rDNA (ETS + ITS) and morphological characters published in 2009 found it to be closely related to C. trachyphloia and C. hendersonii . C. intermedia and other species were placed in the large section Septentrionales within the subgenus Corymbia. [11] The common name comes from the gum veins in the wood. [12]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in New South Wales from Gloucester northwards into Queensland, [5] as far as to Cape York — a total range of 2,500 km (1,600 mi) — and within 100 km (62 mi) of the eastern coastline. It thrives on loamy and sandy soils, [4] and has been found on altitudes of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 feet), with annual rainfall of 750–2200 mm and predominantly summer rain. [4] It grows in open forest, or occasionally lone trees grow in closed forest or on the margins of rainforests. It is associated with such species as carbeen ( Corymbia tesselaris ), broad-leaved stringybark ( Eucalyptus caliginosa ), forest red gum ( E. tereticornis ), narrow-leaved ironbark ( E. crebra ), scribbly gum ( E. racemosa ), grey gum ( E. propinqua ), blackbutt ( E. pilularis ), flooded gum ( E. grandis ), red mahogany ( E. resinifera ), and black sheoak ( Allocasuarina littoralis ) and red wattle ( Acacia flavescens ) in coastal north Queensland. [4]

Ecology

In Bungawalbin National Park in northern New South Wales, the squirrel glider( Petaurus norfolcensis) has been observed biting and gouging into the bark to make a wound on the trunk of the pink bloodwood and then lick the sap out. [13] The behaviour has also been recorded for the yellow-bellied glider ( P. australis ) for this species. [14] Study of the forest habitat of the sugar glider (P. breviceps) and mahogany glider ( P. gracilis) found that the presence of pink bloodwood was correlated with the presence of the former and absence of the latter species. [15]

Study of the impact of perioding burning in forest in southeastern Queensland found no significant difference in trunk diameter of pink bloodwoods in unburnt forest compared with forests burnt every two or four years. [16]

Uses

The dark pink to reddish-brown heartwood is hard and durable usable for building fences and bridges. The sawdust of pink bloodwood is an irritant to eyes and skin. [4]
Corymbia intermedia may be used as a rootstock, onto which the ornamental Corymbia ficifolia is grafted. [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>Corymbia ficifolia</i> Species of plant

Corymbia ficifolia, commonly known as red flowering gum, 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.

<i>Eucalyptus punctata</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus punctata, commonly known as grey gum, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in patches, lance-shaped, curved or egg-shaped adult leaves flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit. Its leaves are one of the favoured foods of the koala.

<i>Corymbia citriodora</i> Species of plant

Corymbia citriodora, commonly known as lemon-scented gum and other common names, is a species of tall tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has smooth white to pink bark, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and urn-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.

<i>Corymbia abergiana</i> Species of plant

Corymbia abergiana, commonly known as range bloodwood or Rockingham Bay bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth bark on the smaller branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and barrel-shaped fruit with a very thick rim.

<i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus grandis, commonly known as the flooded gum or rose gum, is a tall tree with smooth bark, rough at the base fibrous or flaky, grey to grey-brown. At maturity, it reaches 50 metres tall, though the largest specimens can exceed 80 metres tall. It is found on coastal areas and sub-coastal ranges from Newcastle in New South Wales northwards to west of Daintree in Queensland, mainly on flat land and lower slopes, where it is the dominant tree of wet forests and on the margins of rainforests.

<i>Corymbia polycarpa</i> Species of plant

Corymbia polycarpa, also known as long-fruited bloodwood or small-flowered bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to northern Australia. Indigenous Australians of different language groups have different names for the tree. The Nungali peoples know the tree as narrga or gunjid, the Mulluk-Mulluk know it as dawart, the Yangman know it as bodog, the Gurindji peoples as jadburru and the Wagiman as jagatjjin. It is a medium-sized tree with rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white or cream-coloured flowers and barrel-shaped fruit.

<i>Corymbia tessellaris</i> Species of plant

Corymbia tessellaris, commonly known as carbeen or Moreton Bay ash, is a species of tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark on the lower trunk abruptly changing to smooth, whitish bark above, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white flowers and cylindrical or urn-shaped fruit

<i>Corymbia terminalis</i> Species of plant

Corymbia terminalis, also known as tjuta, joolta, bloodwood, desert bloodwood, plains bloodwood, northern bloodwood, western bloodwood or inland bloodwood, is a species of small to medium-sized tree, rarely a mallee that is endemic to Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark on some or all of the trunk, sometimes also on the larger branches, smooth white to cream-coloured bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and urn-shaped fruit.

<i>Corymbia eximia</i> Species of plant

Corymbia eximia, commonly known as yellow bloodwood, is a bloodwood native to New South Wales. It occurs around the Sydney Basin often in high rainfall areas on shallow sandstone soils on plateaux or escarpments, in fire prone areas. Growing as a gnarled tree to 20 m (66 ft), it is recognisable by its distinctive yellow-brown tessellated bark. The greyish green leaves are thick and veiny, and lanceolate spear- or sickle-shaped. The cream flowerheads grow in panicles in groups of seven and appear in spring. Known for many years as Eucalyptus eximia, the yellow bloodwood was transferred into the new genus Corymbia in 1995 when it was erected by Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson. It is still seen under the earlier name in some works.

<i>Corymbia ptychocarpa</i> Species of plant

Corymbia ptychocarpa, commonly known as swamp bloodwood or spring bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to northwestern Australia. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, broadly lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy yellow, pink or red flowers, and barrel-shaped, ribbed fruit.

<i>Corymbia erythrophloia</i> Species of plant

Corymbia erythrophloia, commonly known as red bloodwood, variable-barked bloodwood, red-barked bloodwood or gum-topped bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, egg-shaped or lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and urn-shaped to spherical fruit.

<i>Corymbia foelscheana</i> Species of plant

Corymbia foelscheana, commonly known as broad-leaved bloodwood, fan-leaved bloodwood or smooth-barked bloodwood, is a species of small tree that is endemic to northern Australia. It has thin, rough, tessellated bark on some or all of the trunk, smooth bark above, broadly egg-shaped to broadly lance- shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and urn-shaped fruit.

<i>Corymbia gilbertensis</i> Species of plant

Corymbia gilbertensis, commonly known as Gilbert River ghost gum or Gilbert River box, is a species of tree that is endemic to tropical far north Queensland. It has rough, tessellated bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth bark above, a crown of juvenile, intermediate and adult leaves, flower buds mostly in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.

<i>Corymbia bloxsomei</i> Species of plant

Corymbia bloxsomei, commonly known as yellowjack, yellow jacket or yellow bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to inland, south-eastern Queensland. It has thick, rough scaly bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, nine or eleven, creamy white to pale yellow flowers and barrel-shaped, urn-shaped or spherical fruit.

Corymbia lamprophylla, commonly known as shiny-leaved bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to central Queensland. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and urn-shaped fruit.

<i>Corymbia leichhardtii</i> Species of plant

Corymbia leichhardtii, commonly known as rustyjacket, Leichhardt's rustyjacket, or yellow jacket, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and barrel-shaped, urn-shaped or shortened spherical fruit.

Corymbia leptoloma, commonly known as yellowjacket or Paluma Range yellowjacket, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven and barrel-shaped, urn-shaped or shortened spherical fruit.

<i>Corymbia setosa</i> Species of plant

Corymbia setosa, commonly known as rough leaved bloodwood or desert bloodwood, is a species of small tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has rough, tessellated brown bark on the trunk and branches, a crown of juvenile, heart-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white flowers and urn-shaped to shortened spherical fruit.

<i>Corymbia watsoniana</i> Species of plant

Corymbia watsoniana, commonly known as large-fruited yellowjacket, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, egg-shaped to broadly lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and barrel-shaped or urn-shaped fruit.

Corymbia xanthope, commonly known as Glen Geddes bloodwood, is a species of tree that is endemic to a small area of Queensland. It has thick, rough bark on the trunk and branches with yellow bark visible underneath, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and urn-shaped fruit.

References

  1. 1 2 "Corymbia intermedia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Corymbia intermedia". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. Elliot, Rodger W.; Jones, David L.; Blake, Trevor (1992). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Vol. 4: Eu-Go. Port Melbourne: Lothian Press. pp. 117–18. ISBN   0-85091-213-X.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Boland, Douglas J.; Brooker, M. I. H.; Chippendale, G. M.; McDonald, Maurice William (2006). Forest trees of Australia. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. p. 232. ISBN   0-643-06969-0.
  5. 1 2 Hill, Ken D. "Corymbia intermedia". PlantNET – NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  6. "Eucalyptus intermedia". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Hill, Kenneth D.; Johnson, Lawrence A.S. (13 December 1995). "Systematic studies in the eucalypts. 7. A revision of the bloodwoods, genus Corymbia (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 6 (2–3): 247–249. doi: 10.7751/telopea19953017 .
  8. "Eucalyptus intermedia". APNI. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  9. Baker, Richard T. (1901). "On Some New Species of Eucalyptus". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 25 (4): 674–676. doi: 10.5962/bhl.part.12184 . Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. "Corymbia intermedia". APNI. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  11. Parra-O., C.; Bayly, M. J.; Drinnan, A.; Udovicic, F.; Ladiges, P. (2009). "Phylogeny, major clades and infrageneric classification of Corymbia(Myrtaceae), based on nuclear ribosomal DNA and morphology". Australian Systematic Botany. 22 (5): 384–399. doi:10.1071/SB09028.
  12. Fairley, Alan; Moore, Philip (2000). Native Plants of the Sydney District:An Identification Guide (2nd ed.). Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press. p. 196. ISBN   0-7318-1031-7.
  13. Sharpe, D.J.; Goldingay, Ross L. (1998). "Feeding behaviour of the squirrel glider at Bungawalbin Nature Reserve, north-eastern New South Wales". Wildlife Research. 25 (3): 243–54. doi:10.1071/WR97037.
  14. Mackowski, C. M. (1988). "Characteristics of eucalypts incised for sap by the yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis Shaw (Marsupialia : Petauridae), in northeastern New South Wales". Australian Mammalogy. 11: 5–13.
  15. Jackson, Stephen M. (2000). "Habitat relationships of the mahogany glider, Petaurus gracilis, and the sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps". Wildlife Research. 27 (1): 39–48. doi:10.1071/WR98045.
  16. Guinto, Danilo F.; House, Alan P.N.; Xu Zhi Hong; Saffigna, Paul G. (1999). "Impacts of repeated fuel reduction burning on tree growth, mortality and recruitment in mixed species eucalypt forests of southeast Queensland, Australia". Forest Ecology and Management. 115 (1): 13–27. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(98)00434-4.
  17. "Corymbia Cultivars". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 5 February 2021.