Broome bloodwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Broome bloodwood |
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| Flower buds of Corymbia zygophylla | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Corymbia
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| Species: |
zygophylla
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| Synonyms | |
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Eucalyptus zygophylla Blakely |
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The Corymbia zygophylla, commonly known as the Broome bloodwood, is a special type of small tree or a "mallee." A mallee is a plant that grows many stems from a large, woody base underground. This tree is found only in Western Australia. It has rough, patterned bark on its trunk and branches. Its leaves are heart-shaped to lance-shaped and wrap around the stem. The tree produces white flowers and fruit shaped like an urn or a short sphere.
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What the Broome Bloodwood Looks Like
The Broome bloodwood is usually a small tree or a mallee. It typically grows to be about 6–9 m (20–30 ft) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow after a fire or damage.
Its bark is rough and can be pale to dark brown. It looks like a puzzle or has a fibrous texture on the trunk and branches.
Leaves
Young plants and new shoots have leaves that are heart-shaped and attach directly to the stem without a stalk. These leaves are about 35–100 mm (1.4–3.9 in) long and 15–45 mm (0.59–1.77 in) wide. They grow in opposite pairs along the stem.
The leaves higher up in the tree are also heart-shaped to lance-shaped. They also wrap around the stem. These leaves are a dull green on both sides and are larger, about 65–145 mm (2.6–5.7 in) long and 18–60 mm (0.71–2.36 in) wide. They also grow in opposite pairs.
Flowers and Fruit
The flower buds grow at the ends of the branches on a thick stalk called a peduncle. This stalk is about 7–23 mm (0.28–0.91 in) long. Each part of the peduncle can have three or seven buds. These buds are either attached directly or have very short stalks (called pedicels) up to 3 mm (0.12 in) long.
When the buds are ready to open, they are oval-shaped, about 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) long and 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) wide. They have a cap, called an operculum, which is cone-shaped or rounded with a small point.
The Broome bloodwood usually flowers in December or January. Its flowers are white. After flowering, the tree produces woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like an urn or a shortened sphere. They are about 18–35 mm (0.71–1.38 in) long and 17–33 mm (0.67–1.30 in) wide. The parts that release the seeds are hidden inside the fruit.
How it Got its Name
The Broome bloodwood was first officially described in 1934 by a botanist named William Blakely. He gave it the name Eucalyptus zygophylla. He wrote about it in his book, A Key to the Eucalypts. The plants he studied were collected near Broome in 1905 by another botanist, William Vincent Fitzgerald.
Later, in 1995, two other botanists, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, changed its name to Corymbia zygophylla. This new name put it into a different group of trees called Corymbia.
Where the Broome Bloodwood Lives
Corymbia zygophylla grows in shallow, red sandy soils. You can find it on sand dunes and flat sandy areas. It is mostly found in the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia. However, you can also find smaller groups of these trees scattered in the Pilbara and Great Sandy Desert areas.
It grows in several different natural areas, including the Carnarvon, Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Great Sandy Desert, Ord Victoria Plain, and Pilbara biogeographic regions.
