Green bolly gum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green bolly gum |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| juvenile leaves | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Neolitsea
|
| Species: |
australiensis
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The Green Bolly Gum (scientific name: Neolitsea australiensis) is a special tree found in the rainforests of Australia. It belongs to the laurel family, which includes many other well-known trees. Its scientific name, australiensis, simply means "native of Australia," telling us where this tree comes from.
About the Green Bolly Gum
The Green Bolly Gum is usually a medium-sized tree, growing about 6 to 15 meters (20 to 50 feet) tall. Its trunk can be around 25 centimeters (10 inches) wide. But in some places, like Murray Scrub, these trees can grow much taller, reaching up to 40 meters (130 feet) high! That's as tall as a 10-story building! Their bark is smooth and dark brown, covering a straight, round trunk.
Leaves of the Tree
The leaves of the Green Bolly Gum are shaped like an oval with a pointed tip. They are usually 6 to 13 centimeters (2.5 to 5 inches) long and 2 to 6 centimeters (1 to 2.5 inches) wide. The top side of the leaf is shiny and green, while the underside is a lighter, pale grey color. The small stem that connects the leaf to the branch is green and about 12 to 20 millimeters long. You can see the veins clearly on the leaves, with three to five main veins branching out. The lowest pair of veins starts near the bottom of the leaf and curves upwards for about half its length. The small branches, or twigs, are smooth and can be either brown or green.
Flowers and Fruit
The Green Bolly Gum produces lovely cream-colored flowers that have a nice scent. These flowers grow in groups directly on the branches, without stalks. You can usually see them from March to September.
After the flowers, the tree grows fruits. These fruits are quite large, about 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) long and 14 millimeters (0.5 inches) wide. They are bigger than the fruits of a similar tree called the Hairy-leaved Bolly Gum. Inside each fruit is a pointed seed, about 10 millimeters long.
Many different birds love to eat these fruits! Some of these birds include the green catbird, regent bowerbird, satin bowerbird, topknot pigeon, and white-headed pigeon. If you ever wanted to grow a Green Bolly Gum from its seed, it's a good idea to remove the black outer layer (called an aril) before planting.
Where It Grows
The Green Bolly Gum is an under-storey tree. This means it grows beneath the taller trees in the rainforest. You can find it in the rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. Its range stretches from Ourimbah in the south all the way up to near Maryborough, Queensland in the north.
These trees often grow in places where the soil is rich and fertile, like areas with alluvial (river-deposited) or volcanic soils. Sometimes, it can be a bit tricky to tell the Green Bolly Gum apart from other similar trees, like Cryptocarya rigida and the Hairy-leaved Bolly Gum, when you see them in the wild.
