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Mountain Orange Gum (bushfire recovery)

Eucalyptus prava

Description:

These "mountain orange gums" are survivors of massive bushfires that roared through this national park earlier in the year. They are Australian native euclypts that belong to the family Myrtaceae. This is a very hardy and resilient species, and is one of my favourite eucalypts. Native range is from the Northern Tablelands of NSW to the Granite Belt of southwest Queensland. Despite the ash and charred remains of many trees and shrubs, this spotting caught my eye, not only for its fresh green regrowth, but also for its amazing bark. It had shed from the trunk in large sections, but mostly seemed unburnt. The inner bark was completely unharmed, so the outer bark provided perfect insulation to protect the tree. This is a harsh location, but these trees are survivors and this is their preferred environment. Regarding the species name "prava", it's from the Latin pravus, meaning crooked, referring to the habit.

Habitat:

Spotted in native bushland in Girraween National Park, on the lower rock platforms beneath Mt. Norman. Thin sandy granite soils and accumulated leaf litter. Area mostly dry sclerophyll woodland, and extreme variations in temperature - freezing cold (sometimes snow) in winter, and intense heat in summer. The entire area has just undergone massive bushfires, and drought conditions still prevail. Here's some park info - http://www.rymich.com/girraween/

Notes:

Another spotting of mountain orange gums from four years ago, also in Girraween - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/17... These trees have so much character :-)

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Neil Ross
Spotted by
Neil Ross

Queensland, Australia

Spotted on Jun 20, 2019
Submitted on Jul 30, 2019

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