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Project Noah Nature School
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Magnificent river red gums! This is a native Australian species that belongs to the family Myrtaceae, and is a familiar and iconic tree that's seen along many watercourses across inland Australia, particularly in the Murray Darling Basin. It has the widest natural distribution of any eucalyptus species. Mature trees can reach up to 45 metres in height. Smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and hemispherical fruit with the valves extending beyond the rim. Note also the massive tree hollow, seen in the first two photos. That's big enough for a wedge-tailed eagle! Hollows start to form at around 120–180 years of age, and provide safe habitat for any number of species.
Spotted along the shore of freshwater Lake Broadwater, which forms part of the Lake Broadwater Conservation Park.... https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/lake-... This region is very flat, and Lake Broadwater is the only large, naturally-occurring freshwater lake on the Darling Downs. Dalby is the nearest town. NB: Just a little over 12 months ago and this lake was completely dry due to the massive drought that Australia experienced. It's wonderful to see how the lake and surrounding bushland has recovered. Birdlife was abundant.
Re: The last photo - I wasn't sure at first if these clusters of trees which had a mallee-like 'habit' were river red gums or not. Their overall size and appearance was nothing like the larger trees nearby. Some actually looked like they were growing in coppices, and I found this puzzling. E. camaldulensis has no lignotuber, so is it able to grow multiple stems or coppice? These trees are, in fact, river red gums. Dense stands of young plants appear over extensive areas after floods, at times forming impenetrable thickets. Saplings gradually thin out as they grow, to form forests of straight-trunked trees. In more arid regions, where ribbon stands occur along creeks, the trees are more gnarled and develop a large spreading canopy. PS: An excellent reference - Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) site.... https://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/WfHC/Eucaly...
Spotted on May 23, 2021
Submitted on Jun 30, 2021
2 Comments
Thanks, Ornithoptera80. These trees have a real presence, and they looked so cool under clear, blue skies.
Nice series of pictures, and notes.