Corymbia petalophylla facts for kids

Corymbia petalophylla is a special kind of tree found only in Queensland, Australia. It's sometimes called a "bloodwood" tree. This tree has rough, scaly bark on its trunk and branches. Its leaves are shaped like a spear, and its white flowers grow in groups. After the flowers, it grows interesting barrel-shaped fruits.

What Does This Tree Look Like?

Corymbia petalophylla is a tree that usually grows up to 15 m (49 ft) (about 49 feet) tall. 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.

Bark and Leaves

The tree has thick, rough, yellowish bark that looks like a mosaic or puzzle pieces (this is called "tessellated"). This flaky bark covers the trunk and main branches. Only the very thinnest branches have smooth bark.

Young plants and new shoots (called coppice regrowth) have egg-shaped leaves. These leaves are about 75–145 mm (3.0–5.7 in) (3 to 5.7 inches) long and 40–100 mm (1.6–3.9 in) (1.6 to 3.9 inches) wide. Adult leaves are a dull green color on both sides. They are shaped like a spear or slightly curved. These adult leaves are about 80–190 mm (3.1–7.5 in) (3.1 to 7.5 inches) long and 15–45 mm (0.59–1.77 in) (0.6 to 1.8 inches) wide. They narrow down to a stalk called a petiole, which is about 10–38 mm (0.39–1.50 in) (0.4 to 1.5 inches) long.

Flowers and Fruit

The flower buds grow in groups of seven at the ends of the branches. Each group of seven buds is on a main stalk called a peduncle, which is 7–28 mm (0.28–1.10 in) (0.3 to 1.1 inches) long. Each individual bud has its own small stalk called a pedicel, about 1–7 mm (0.039–0.276 in) (0.04 to 0.3 inches) long.

Mature buds are oval-shaped, about 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) (0.3 inches) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) (0.16 to 0.2 inches) wide. They have a cap called an operculum that is rounded, sometimes with a small knob in the middle. This cap protects the flower parts inside.

Corymbia petalophylla flowers from July to September. Its flowers are white. After flowering, the tree produces woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like a barrel, an urn, or a flattened sphere. They are about 8–14 mm (0.31–0.55 in) (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long and 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide. The parts that release the seeds (called valves) are hidden inside the fruit.

How It Got Its Name

Discovery and Classification

This type of bloodwood tree was first officially described in 1991. Two scientists, Ian Brooker and Anthony Bean, gave it the name Eucalyptus petalophylla. They published their description in a science journal called Austrobaileya.

Later, in 1995, two other scientists, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, changed its name to Corymbia petalophylla. This change happened because scientists decided that "bloodwood" trees like this one were different enough from other Eucalyptus trees to be in their own group, or genus, called Corymbia.

Meaning of the Name

The second part of its scientific name, petalophylla (which is called the specific epithet), comes from ancient Greek words. "Petalo" means "broad" and "phylla" means "leaf." This name refers to the broad, wide leaves found on the young plants of this tree.

Where Does This Tree Grow?

Corymbia petalophylla grows in the Burnett district of south-eastern Queensland, Australia. It often grows alongside other types of Corymbia trees, like C. trachyphloia and C. watsoniana, as well as Eucalyptus baileyana. You can find these trees growing in soil that comes from granite rock.

Is This Tree Protected?

The Queensland Government has a law called the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Under this law, Corymbia petalophylla is classified as being of "least concern." This means that scientists believe there are enough of these trees in the wild, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.