Eucalyptus Grandis
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''Eucalyptus grandis'', commonly known as the flooded gum or rose gum, is a tall tree with smooth
bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
, rough at the base fibrous or flaky, grey to grey-brown. At maturity, it reaches tall, though the largest specimens can exceed tall. It is found on coastal areas and sub-coastal ranges from
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
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.


Description

''Eucalyptus grandis'' grows as a straight and tall forest tree, reaching around tall, with a dbh of . The biggest trees can reach high and dbh, the tallest recorded known as "The Grandis" near
Bulahdelah Bulahdelah () is a town and locality in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in the Mid-Coast Council local government area. Geography The town is situated north of Sydney along the eastern and northern banks of the Myall ...
, with a height of and a girth of . The bole is straight for 2/3 to 3/4 the height of the tree. The bark is smooth and powdery, pale- or blue-grey to white in colour, with a skirt of rough brownish bark for the bottom of the tree trunk. The glossy dark green
leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
are stalked,
lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...
to broad lanceolate, and paler on their undersides, long and wide. They are arranged alternately along the branches. The secondary veins arise off the leaf midvein at a wide angle (61 degrees), and the leaf is dotted with around 800 oil glands per square centimetre. The flower buds are arranged in leaf
axil A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...
s in groups of seven, nine or eleven on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
or on
pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branch ...
up to long. Mature buds are oval, pear-shaped or club-shaped, green to yellow or
glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...
, long and wide. The white flowers appear from mid autumn to late winter from April to August. The flowers are followed by conical, pear- or cone-shaped fruit long and wide with the valves at rim level or slightly above. The Sydney blue gum ('' E. saligna'') is very similar in appearance and overlaps ''E. grandis'' in the southern part of its range, but has narrower leaves and more bell-shaped gumnuts with protruding valves. It also has a lignotuber. The mountain blue gum ('' E. deanei'') can be distinguished by its entirely smooth bark and wider adult leaves.


Taxonomy

''Eucalyptus grandis'' was first formally described by
Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...
in 1862 in ''Catalogue of the Natural and Industrial Products of Queensland''. The species name ''grandis'' "large" relates to this tree's large size. It is commonly known as the flooded gum and as rose gum in Queensland. It has been classified in the subgenus ''Symphyomyrtus'', Section ''Latoangulatae'', Series ''Transversae'' (eastern blue gums) by Brooker and Kleinig. Its two closest relatives are the Sydney blue gum (''
Eucalyptus saligna ''Eucalyptus saligna'', commonly known as the Sydney blue gum or blue gum, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, flaky bark near the base of the trunk, smooth bark above, lance-s ...
'') and the mountain blue gum ('' E. deanei'').


Distribution and habitat

''E. grandis'' is found on coastal areas and sub-coastal ranges from the vicinity of
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
northwards to
Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...
in central Queensland with disjunct populations further north near
Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...
,
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
and Daintree in northern
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, mainly on flat land and lower slopes. The soils are deep fertile
alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
loams. The annual rainfall varies from 1100 to 3500 mm. It is the dominant tree of wet forest and rain forest margins, either growing in pure stands or mixed with trees such as blackbutt ('' E. pilularis''), tallowwood ('' E. microcorys''), red mahogany ('' E. resinifera''), Sydney blue gum (''E. saligna''), pink bloodwood (''
Corymbia intermedia ''Corymbia intermedia'', commonly known as pink bloodwood, 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 ...
''), turpentine (''
Syncarpia glomulifera ''Syncarpia glomulifera'', commonly known as the turpentine tree, or yanderra, is a tree of the family Myrtaceae native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, which can reach in height. It generally grows on heavier soils. The cream fl ...
''), brush box (''
Lophostemon confertus ''Lophostemon confertus'' (syn. ''Tristania conferta'') is an evergreen tree native to Australia, though it is cultivated in the United States and elsewhere. Common names include brush box, Queensland box, Brisbane box, pink box, box scrub, and ...
'') and forest oak (''
Allocasuarina torulosa ''Allocasuarina torulosa'', commonly known as forest oak, rose sheoak, river oak or Baker's oak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a slender, usually dioecious tree that has ...
''). ''E. grandis'' has been established in plantations in northern
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
and is sold under the trade name "Red Grandis".


Uses

Flooded gum is an attractive, straight-trunked tree much in demand outside
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
for timber and pulp, and extensive plantations exist in South Africa and Brazil. Within Australia, plantations exist in northern New South Wales, where seedlings have put on of growth in their first year. The timber has a pinkish tinge and is used in joinery, flooring, boat building, panelling and plywood. It has a straight grain, moderate durability and strength, and is resistant to ''
Lyctus Lyktos ( Greek: or ) was a city in ancient Crete. During the Classical and Roman periods, it was one of the major settlements on the island. Its ruins are located near the modern-day village of Lyttos in the municipality of Minoa Pediada, ...
'' borers. Hybrids with river red gum (''
Eucalyptus camaldulensis ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as river red gum, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to Australia. It is a tree with smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flow ...
'') are used to combat salinity. ''Eucalyptus grandis'' is a food plant of paropsine beetles of the family Chrysomelidae and
Christmas beetle Christmas beetle is a name commonly applied to the Australian beetle genus ''Anoplognathus'', which belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae. They are known as Christmas beetles because they are abundant in both urban and rural areas close to Christmas ...
s, the latter often defoliating trees of Australia's east coast. Clones of ''Eucalyptus grandis'' have been selected and bred on the basis of unpalatability to the brown Christmas beetle (''
Anoplognathus chloropyrus ''Anoplognathus brunnipennis'', commonly known as the brown- or golden-brown Christmas beetle, is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae native to eastern Australia, being common in coastal Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, the Great Dividin ...
'') to minimise damage to plantations. Other insect pests include the steelblue sawfly ('' Perga dorsalis'') and the leafblister sawfly ('' Phylacteophaga froggatti''), both of which prefer young trees. ''Eucalyptus grandis'' has been grown successfully in plantations in wetter areas of Sri Lanka, particularly in the
Badulla Badulla (, ; ,) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost enci ...
and
Nuwara Eliya District Nuwara Eliya District (; ) is a district in Central Province, Sri Lanka, centered on the tourist city of Nuwara Eliya. Demographics According to the 2001 census of Sri Lanka, population of Nuwara Eliya district is 703,610, of which 50.5 ...
s. Plantations have also been successful in Uruguay where lumber is being exported to the United States under the trade name "Red Grandis". Many parameters of climate and soil are similar to eastern Australia, and it has grown well on plains as well as hills previously used for growing tea. Grown for its wood and ease of cultivation, it is the fastest growing eucalypt in the country. The tree is too large for most gardens, but makes an attractive tree for large parks and farms, and can be used in riverbank stabilisation. The saligna gum is grown extensively in plantations in South Africa in areas that formerly offered indifferent bee forage. At the onset of flowering each year an extraordinarily large number of colonies move into these plantations where thousands are decoyed into hives by beekeepers. The flowers have a strong scent and beekeepers assert that bees travel at least 32 km (20 miles) to some plantations.


Pulpwood


References

{{Authority control grandis Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Plants described in 1862 Taxa named by Walter Hill