Forest Red Gum

Description:

A very handsome tree commonly known as forest red gum, red irongum and Queensland blue gum, is a eucalypt species native to eastern Australia and belongs to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. The common names stem from the beautiful rich red of the inner timber, and the blue hues of the outer trunk and branches. This is also an important "food" tree for native animals - koalas eat the leaves, yellow-bellied gliders eat the sap, and the flowers attract birds like honeyeaters and lorikeets. Can grow to a height of 50 metres with a girth of up to 2 metres. The trunk is straight and is usually un-branched for more than half of the total height of the tree. Thereafter, limbs are unusually steeply inclined for a Eucalyptus species. The bark is shed in irregular sheets, resulting in a smooth trunk surface coloured in patches of white, grey and blue, corresponding to areas that shed their bark at different times.

Habitat:

Spotted just outside the township of Grandchester, QLD, on the banks of Western Creek, a freshwater tributary of the Bremer River, which itself is a tributary of the Brisbane River. Much of the surrounding area has been cleared for grazing livestock.