Tenterfield Woollybutt (bushfire recovery)

Description:

"Tenterfield woollybutt" is a native eucalypt species that's endemic to eastern Australia, and belongs to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Now regenerating with an abundance of new growth at its base and along the trunk, it managed to survived the massive bushfires that ravaged this region in 2019. This was one of the predominant tree species along this section of fire trail. I managed to narrow down ID candidates to three species, based only on my observations of juvenile leaves - E. banksii, E. nova-anglica, and E. bridgesiana. Beyond that and I would have been guessing, particularly as I hadn't seen other distinguishing features like flowers, gumnuts, or mature leaves either. So, when in doubt, ask an expert. See notes.

Habitat:

Spotted along a fire trail near the Mt. Norman day use area in Girraween National Park. Dry sclerophyll forest on sandy granite soils, substantial undergrowth and accumulated leaf litter, and foliage much greener and lush since the drought has broken. Here's some park info - http://www.rymich.com/girraween/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girraween_...

Notes:

Many thanks to Gavin Phillips, a horticulturist, from the Queensland Plant Identification Group on Facebook, for his ID confirmation. His response to my query as follows..."Eucalyptus banksii for that one. E. bridgesiana has the juveniles more cordate and becoming alternate quickly, and nova-anglica has much more glaucous grey, rounder juveniles. The bark in the last shot also looks typical for banksii in terms of roughness."