''Erythrophleum chlorostachys'', commonly known as Cooktown ironwood, is a species of leguminous tree endemic to northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

The Cooktown ironwood is semi-

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, dropping much of its foliage in response to the prolonged winter dry periods which are the norm within its native range. The foliage of the tree contains toxic levels of

alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar st ...

and has been responsible for numerous deaths of both cattle and horses. The species is a beautiful source of timber, which is exceptionally hard and dense as well as being highly

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

resistant. The eastern dragon shaped heartwood skeletons of the tree resist natural degradation and add wonder to the landscape.

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs from north-eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is found in a wide range of environments, from arid

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

Usage

Virtually all culturally modified trees in ''

Eucalyptus tetrodonta ''Eucalyptus tetrodonta'', commonly known as Darwin stringybark or messmate, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to northern Australia. It has rough, stringy or fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped leave ...

'' woodland on Cape York Peninsula are Cooktown ironwoods. Most of these are 'sugar bag scars' where Aboriginal people have cut through the cambium into the heartwood of the tree to remove honey from native bees. Scars have been made using both stone axes (in pre-contact times) and steel axes (post-contact). These have particular significance to Aboriginal people as the tangible representation of past cultural practices. The large number of hollows found in Cooktown ironwoods at Kakadu National Park are also likely to be culturally modified trees (e.g. Taylor 2002 Figure 6.8).

References

*Boland, D.J., Brooker M.I.H, Chippendale, G.M., Hall, N., Hyland, B.P.M., Johnstone, R.D., Kleinig, D.A., Turner, J.D. (1984). "Forest trees of Australia." CSIRO. Melbourne. *Dunlop, C.R., Leach, G.J. and Cowie, I.D. (1995). "Flora of the Darwin region. 2." Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory. Darwin. *Morrison, M., McNaughton, D. and Shiner, J. (2010). "Mission-Based Indigenous Production at the Weipa Presbyterian Mission, Western Cape York Peninsula (1932-66)". International Journal of Historical Archaeology 14:86-111. *Taylor, R. (2002). "Ironwood Erythrophleum chlorostachys in the Northern Territory: aspects of its ecology in relation to timber harvesting". Report to Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia. chlorostachys Fabales of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of the Northern Territory Rosids of Western Australia Trees of Australia Drought-tolerant trees Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller {{Caesalpinioideae-stub