Bolomin facts for kids

Corymbia polysciada, commonly known as apple gum, paper-fruited bloodwood or bolomin, is a type of tree found only in the Top End of the Northern Territory in Australia. This tree is special because it has rough, textured bark on its lower trunk and smooth, lighter bark higher up. It grows beautiful creamy white flowers and unique cup-shaped fruits.

What the Apple Gum Looks Like

The Apple Gum tree usually grows up to about 15 meters (around 50 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged, like from a bushfire.

The bark on the lower part of the trunk is rough and looks like a puzzle, with dark gray pieces. Higher up, the bark is smooth and creamy white. It peels off in thin flakes.

Young Apple Gum plants have heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves at first. As they grow, these leaves become more spear-shaped. They can be quite large, up to 24 centimeters (about 9.5 inches) long. Adult leaves are green on both sides and can be egg-shaped or broadly spear-shaped. They are usually 6 to 21 centimeters (about 2.5 to 8 inches) long. Interestingly, this tree often loses its leaves by the middle of the dry season.

The flowers grow in groups of seven. Each group comes from a branched stalk called a peduncle. The flower buds are smooth and shiny, shaped like a pear. They are about 6 to 8 millimeters long. Each bud has a cap called an operculum that covers the flower parts inside.

Apple Gum trees bloom from June to November, showing off their creamy white flowers. After flowering, they produce thin-walled fruits called capsules. These fruits are shaped like a cup, cylinder, or barrel. They are about 9 to 15 millimeters long and grow on long stalks called pedicels.

Naming the Apple Gum

Scientists first officially described this tree in 1859. Ferdinand von Mueller, a famous botanist, gave it the name Eucalyptus polysciada.

Later, in 1995, two other botanists, Ken Hill and Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson, decided to change its name to Corymbia polysciada. This was because they realized it belonged to a different group of trees, the Corymbia genus, which are often called bloodwoods.

The local Wagiman people, who live in the Northern Territory, have their own name for this tree: bolomin.

Where the Apple Gum Lives

The Apple Gum tree is very common and can be found across a wide area in the wetter woodlands of the Northern Territory. You can spot it growing north of a place called Mataranka. It often grows on rocky ridges and flat areas with lots of gravel.

See also

• List of Corymbia species