Large-leaved cabbage gum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cabbage gum |
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| Corymbia grandifolia near Katherine | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Corymbia
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| Species: |
grandifolia
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| Synonyms | |
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Eucalyptus grandifolia R.Br. ex Benth. |
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The Cabbage gum is a special tree found only in northern Australia. It's also known as the large-leaved cabbage gum or paper-fruited bloodwood. This tree has smooth bark and leaves that can be shaped like an egg or a spear. Its flowers are creamy white, and its fruit looks like a small cup or cylinder.
Contents
What Does the Cabbage Gum Look Like?
The Cabbage gum tree usually grows to be about 3 to 15 meters (10 to 49 feet) tall. It has smooth bark that is white or light grey. This bark peels off in thin pieces.
Leaves and Flowers
Young Cabbage gum trees have large, egg-shaped leaves. These leaves can be up to 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) long and 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) wide.
The adult leaves are shiny green on both sides. They are also egg-shaped or spear-shaped. These leaves can grow up to 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) long. The tree loses its leaves during the dry season.
The flowers of the Cabbage gum are creamy white. They grow in groups of three or seven. Each flower bud is shaped like a pear. These trees usually flower from September to January.
Fruit
After flowering, the tree produces fruit. The fruit is shaped like a cup or a cylinder. It is about 1 to 1.7 centimeters (0.4 to 0.7 inches) long.
Where Does the Cabbage Gum Grow?
The Cabbage gum tree likes to grow in open forests and woodlands. You can often find it near rivers, swamps, or on rocky slopes. It grows well in sandy soils.
This tree is found across a wide area in northern Australia. It lives in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It also grows across the top end of the Northern Territory. This includes Bathurst and Melville Islands. You can also find it along the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland.
How the Cabbage Gum Got Its Name
The Cabbage gum was first described in 1867 by a botanist named George Bentham. He used notes from an earlier description by Robert Brown. At first, it was called Eucalyptus grandifolia.
Later, in 1995, two other botanists, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson, changed its name to Corymbia grandifolia.
Different Types of Cabbage Gum
Scientists have found that there are three slightly different types, or subspecies, of Cabbage gum:
- Corymbia grandifolia subsp. grandifolia
- Corymbia grandifolia subsp. lamprocardia
- Corymbia grandifolia subsp. longa
These subspecies are all part of the same Cabbage gum family.
