Corymbia novoguinensis facts for kids

Corymbia novoguinensis is a type of tree found in places like New Guinea, some islands in the Torres Strait, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. It's easy to spot because of its rough bark on its trunk and branches. This tree has long, spear-shaped leaves, and its flowers are a creamy white color. After flowering, it grows interesting urn-shaped or barrel-shaped fruits.

What Does This Tree Look Like?

Corymbia novoguinensis is a tall tree, often growing up to 25 meters high. That's about as tall as an eight-story building! It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if it gets damaged, like by a bushfire.

Its bark is rough and can look cracked, flaky, or like a puzzle (tessellated) on both the trunk and branches. The adult leaves are shiny green on top and a lighter green underneath. They are shaped like a spear, about 10 to 21 centimeters long and 1.2 to 3.5 centimeters wide. These leaves narrow down to a stalk called a petiole, which is about 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long.

The tree's flower buds grow in groups of seven at the ends of its small branches. Each group of buds sits on a main stalk (called a peduncle) that is 7 to 16 millimeters long. From this main stalk, smaller stalks (called pedicels) hold each of the seven buds, and these are 4 to 18 millimeters long.

When the buds are ready to open, they are oval or pear-shaped, about 11 to 12 millimeters long and 6 to 7 millimeters wide. They have a rounded or cone-shaped cap called an operculum. This cap protects the flower parts inside before they bloom. People have seen these trees flowering in August, and their flowers are a lovely creamy white.

After the flowers, the tree produces woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like an urn or a barrel and are about 17 to 24 millimeters long and 11 to 15 millimeters wide. They are a type of dry fruit called a capsule.

Corymbia novoguinensis looks similar to a few other trees, like C. clarksoniana, C. ligans, and C. polycarpa. However, you can tell them apart by the unique shape of their fruits.

How It Got Its Name

This type of eucalypt tree was first officially described in 1987 by two scientists, Denis Carr and Stella Carr. They found specimens of the tree on Daru Island in Papua New Guinea and first named it Eucalyptus novoguinensis.

Later, in 1995, two other botanists, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, changed its name to Corymbia novoguinensis. The second part of its scientific name, novoguinensis, simply means "from New Guinea." This is a way to show where the first important samples of the tree were found.

Where Does It Grow?

You can find Corymbia novoguinensis growing in coastal areas of southern Papua New Guinea and the southeastern part of Irian Jaya. It also grows on some of the Torres Strait Islands and in the northern part of the Cape York Peninsula in Australia.