Brooker's gum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brooker's gum
Scientific classification
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	brookeriana

Eucalyptus brookeriana, often called Brooker's gum, is a special tree found only in south-eastern Australia. This tree has rough, stringy bark near its base. Higher up, its bark is smooth. It has unique leaves that can be shaped like a spear, an egg, or even curved. Its flower buds usually grow in groups of seven, and when they bloom, they are white. The fruit looks like a cup, cone, or bell.

What Does Brooker's Gum Look Like?

Brooker's gum is a tall tree, often growing up to 40 meters (about 130 feet) high. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged.

Bark and Leaves

The bark at the bottom of the trunk is rough and fibrous. It can be brown or grey and goes up to about 6 meters (20 feet). Above this, the bark is smooth and can be white, cream, green, or coppery. This smooth bark often peels off in long ribbons.

Young plants and new shoots have different leaves. These leaves are usually egg-shaped, oval, or round. They are about 30 to 115 mm (1 to 4.5 inches) long and 20 to 50 mm (0.8 to 2 inches) wide. They have a stem called a petiole.

Adult leaves are shiny green and can be shaped like a spear, an egg, or curved. They are longer, about 65 to 160 mm (2.5 to 6 inches) long and 13 to 55 mm (0.5 to 2 inches) wide. They also have a petiole, which is about 10 to 33 mm (0.4 to 1.3 inches) long.

Flowers and Fruit

The flower buds of Brooker's gum usually grow in groups of seven, sometimes nine. These groups are on a stalk called a peduncle, which is 4 to 15 mm (0.16 to 0.59 inches) long. Each individual bud has its own small stalk, a pedicel, about 2 to 5 mm (0.08 to 0.20 inches) long.

When the buds are ready, they are oval or diamond-shaped. They are 6 to 10 mm (0.24 to 0.39 inches) long and 3 to 6 mm (0.12 to 0.24 inches) wide. Each bud has a cap called an operculum, which is shaped like a cone or a beak. This cap is 3 to 5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 inches) long.

Brooker's gum trees bloom in summer and autumn, showing off their white flowers. After flowering, the tree produces woody fruit. These fruits are like capsules and can be cup-shaped, conical, or bell-shaped. They are 4 to 8 mm (0.16 to 0.31 inches) long and 5 to 7 mm (0.20 to 0.28 inches) wide. The parts that open to release seeds are at the same level as the rim or slightly above it.

Who Named Brooker's Gum?

The scientific name Eucalyptus brookeriana was first officially described in 1979. This was done by a scientist named Alan Maurice Gray. He found a sample of the tree near Little Swanport in Tasmania. His description was published in a science journal called Australian Forest Research.

The second part of the name, brookeriana, was chosen to honor M.I.H. Brooker. He was a specialist in studying and classifying different types of eucalyptus trees.

Where Does Brooker's Gum Grow?

Brooker's gum grows in a few separate areas in Tasmania and Victoria. This is called a disjunct distribution.

In Victoria, you can find it on the northern hills of the Otway Ranges. It also grows in the Daylesford and Trentham areas.

In Tasmania, it is found in many places, but not in the far south-west. It is also very common on King Island, where it is the most abundant type of eucalypt tree. Brooker's gum likes to grow on slopes and ridge tops. You can also find it near water in wet forests, and sometimes even close to rainforests.

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