Desert ghost gum facts for kids

The desert ghost gum, also known simply as the ghost gum, is a special type of tree. Its scientific name is Corymbia candida. This tree grows in the dry, desert-like parts of Australia, mainly in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It's known for its beautiful, smooth, white bark.

What Does It Look Like?

This amazing tree usually grows to be about 10 to 20 meters (33 to 66 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This helps the tree regrow if there's a fire or drought.

The desert ghost gum has very smooth, white, and powdery bark. This bark peels off in thin strips, which helps keep the trunk looking bright white.

Its leaves are usually arranged opposite each other on the branches. Most of the leaves are shaped like a heart (this is called cordate). Sometimes, they can be long and narrow, like a spear (this is called lanceolate). The leaves are a dull grey-green to pale green color. They are about 3 to 8 centimeters (1.2 to 3.1 inches) long and 0.8 to 2.7 centimeters (0.3 to 1.1 inches) wide.

The tree blooms around July. Its flowers grow in groups of three buds. These buds are shaped like an upside-down egg or a pear. They are about 0.4 to 0.6 centimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) long and 0.4 to 0.5 centimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) wide. The buds have a flat cap (called an operculum) and white flowers with many stamens (the parts that hold pollen).

After the flowers, the tree grows fruits. These fruits hang on small stalks (they are pedicellate). They are shaped like a cup, cylinder, or barrel. They are about 0.5 to 1.1 centimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) long and 0.6 to 1.1 centimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide. Inside the fruits are brown to red-brown seeds. These seeds are flat or saucer-shaped and are about 3 to 6 millimeters (0.12 to 0.24 inches) long.

How Did It Get Its Name?

Scientists gave the Corymbia candida its official name in 1995. Two botanists, Kenneth Hill and Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson, described it in a science journal called Telopea. They studied samples of the tree collected near Giralia in 1983.

The name candida comes from the Latin word candidus. This word means glossy white. It perfectly describes the tree's very white trunk! The Corymbia candida looks a lot like another tree called C. aspera.

Where Does It Grow?

The desert ghost gum grows in many places across Australia's dry regions. You can find it widely in the Pilbara and Goldfields-Esperance areas of Western Australia. It likes to grow in areas with rocky hills and flat, pebbly plains. It can grow in red-colored soils like clay, sand, loam, or gravel.

You can find it as far west as Exmouth. It also grows eastward through the Gascoyne River area and continues into the Little Sandy Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, and even into the Northern Territory and the Tanami Desert.