Brush bloodwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brush bloodwood |
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| Baloghia inophylla at the Allyn River, Barrington Tops, Australia | |
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Baloghia
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| Species: |
inophylla
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Baloghia inophylla is a special rainforest tree found in eastern Australia. People often call it the brush bloodwood because it grows in "brushes," which is an old word for rainforests. It's also known as bloodwood because its sap, which is like the tree's blood, is bright red! You might also hear it called ivory birch or scrub bloodwood.
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Where Does Brush Bloodwood Grow?
This amazing tree grows along the eastern coast of Australia. You can find it from Mount Dromedary in southern New South Wales all the way up to Coen in far north Queensland. It also lives on New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island.
Baloghia inophylla loves most types of rainforests. However, it doesn't usually grow in the cooler, temperate forests.
What Does This Tree Look Like?
The brush bloodwood is a medium-sized tree. It can grow up to 25 metres (82 ft) tall. Its trunk can be as wide as 50 centimetres (20 in). The trunk is usually round and straight. Some trees might have a wider, fluted base.
Bark and Leaves
The bark of this tree is a creamy brown color. It often has reddish and brown marks. The bark also has raised, square-shaped plates.
The leaves are thick and shiny. They are about 7 to 13 cm long. The leaves grow in pairs, one opposite the other. They are simple, meaning they are not divided into smaller leaflets. Their edges are smooth, not toothed. Most leaves are oblong, but some can be oval or elliptical.
A good way to identify this tree is by its blunt leaf tip. Also, its leaf veins are almost horizontal. At the base of each leaf, there are two small, swollen glands. The leaf stalks are about 8 millimetres (0.31 in) long. They have a slight groove on the top side.
Flowers and Fruit
Creamy pink flowers appear on long stalks called racemes. This usually happens from May to January. The flowers have five petals. They are fragrant, quite large, and very pretty. Male and female flowers grow on separate racemes.
The fruit ripens from February to May. Sometimes, it ripens at other times of the year. It is a round, brown capsule. It measures about 12 to 18 mm long. Inside, there are three small sections. Each section can hold one mottled brown seed, about 8 mm long. However, many capsules don't have any seeds inside. Fresh seeds grow well. Cuttings from the tree also root easily.
How Is Brush Bloodwood Used?
The sap from the brush bloodwood tree is bright red. People can use this sap to make a red pigment or dye.
See also
In Spanish: Baloghia inophylla para niños
