''Corymbia erythrophloia'', commonly known as red bloodwood, variable-barked bloodwood, red-barked bloodwood or gum-topped bloodwood, is a species of tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Queensland. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, egg-shaped or lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and urn-shaped to spherical fruit.

Description

The tree typically grows to a height of with tessellated, red-brown, dull, grey or pink bark that is persistent on the trunk and lower branches. The bark sheds in small polygonal flakes giving the tree a mottled appearance. Young plants and

coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeated ...

regrowth have elliptical to egg-shaped, later lance-shaped leaves that are long and wide and

petiolate Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, a ...

. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, more or less the same shade of dull grey-green on both sides, lance-shaped to broadly lance-shaped or curved, long and wide, tapering at the base to a narrowly flattened petiole long. The flower buds are arranged on the ends of branchlets on a branched peduncle long, each branch of the peduncle with seven buds on thin

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

long. Mature buds are oval or pear-shaped, long and wide with a rounded, sometimes pointed operculum. The tree will bloom between January and April and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody urn-shaped to more or less spherical capsule long and wide. The seeds are boat-shaped or oval and reddish brown with a wing on the end.

Taxonomy and naming

The first formal description of this species was by

William Blakely William Faris Blakely (November 1875 – 1 September 1941) was an Australian botanist and collector. From 1913 to 1940 he worked in the National Herbarium of New South Wales, working with Joseph Maiden on ''Eucalyptus'', Maiden named a ''red g ...

in 1934 who published the description in his book ''A Key to the Eucalypts'' and gave it the name ''Eucalyptus erythrophloia''. The type specimens were collected by Thomas Lane Bancroft (1860–1933) near Eidsvold in 1919. In 1995, botanists Ken Hill and

Lawrie Johnson Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, FAA, (26 June 1925 – 1 August 1997) known as Lawrie Johnson, was an Australian Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic botany, botanist. He worked at the Royal Botanic Garden ...

defined the genus ''Corymbia'', identifying the bloodwoods, ghost gums and spotted gums as a group distinct from ''Eucalyptus'' and they changed the name ''Eucalyptus erythrophloia'' to ''Corymbia erythrophloia''.

Distribution and habitat

''Corymbia erythrophloia'' is found down the east coast of Queensland as far north as Queenstown on the Cape York Peninsula where it is found as far west as the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...

. The range then extends as far south as the

Hervey Bay Hervey Bay () is a city on the coast of the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately or 3½ hours' highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located on the Hervey Bay (Queensland), bay of ...

with an isolated population found further south to the west of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. It is found on grassy woodlands or low rolling hills containing clayey or stony soils mostly of volcanic origin. It is often found in association with mountain coolibah or the silver-leaved ironbark.

Conservation status

This eucalypt is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government ''

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

''.

Use in horticulture

The tree can be grown as a shade tree that is a bird attractor in gardens where it can tolerate a hot overhead sun and dry soils. Soils can be ordinary or enriched, containing clay and mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. Trees are pruned to retain one main trunk sometimes are allowed multiple trunks which are well-spaced to develop.

References