Eucalyptus goniocalyx
("goniocalyx" means cornered fruit)
Long-leaved Box
White flowers appear March to August, and gumnuts can be collected any time of year. Place on tray for valves to open and release seed; sow without treatment and expect germination 4-8 weeks. Older trees provide hollows for nesting fauna.
The Long-leaved Box grows on the drier, shallow soils away from the Creek. Bark is typical box type, rough and scaly and persisting to the smaller branches, becoming shaggier with age. Juvenile leaves, shown below, are rounded and bright green, often with a slight point. Adult leaves are thick, shiny and dark green, up to 24cm. long, and tapering.
This tree is often multi branched and low to the ground, and drops limbs regularly. The fruit is a cluster of five gumnuts, each with a distinctive ridge on the sides, on a broad flattened stalk, also with ridges.
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Eucalyptus melliodora
("melliodora" means smelling like honey)
Yellow Box
This tree prefers deeper soils, but not the moist creek area. It grows mainly along the school entrance road, where the vegetation zones overlap. Scaly bark varies in colour, usually with a golden yellow tinge, which becomes darker and thicker with age The upper trunk and limbs are smooth and pale.
Juvenile leaves, seen here, are oval, grey-green, with a reddish tinge on the stems. Adult leaves are a dull grey-green, narrow and fairly small , 6-12 cm. Yellow Box flowers provide nectar for insects and birds, including honeyeaters and the Swift Parrot. White flowers are produced from September to February. Collect gumnuts February to July and leave on tray for valves to open and release seed. Sow on top of growing medium as seed needs some light for germination, which will take 4-8 weeks.
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Eucalyptus polyanthemos
("polyanthemos" means many flowered)
Red Box
This tree dominates in the more rocky, shallow soils - it cannot tolerate high nutrients or wet feet. Fine, scaly bark is light brown to grey and usually covers the trunk and the branches. Red Box flowers provide nectar for many insects and animals. Older trees can develop quality hollows , providing habitat for many creatures.
Juvenile leaves are blue-grey, nearly round, usually with an indent at the apex.
Cream flowers in profusion from September to January. Collect seed from March to June.Place gumnuts on tray for valves to open and release seed. Germination 4-8 weeks.Adult leaves, distinctive blue-grey and round to oval, are easy to pick out amongst other eucalypts.
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Eucalyptus macrorhyncha
Red Stringybark
[“macrorhyncha” means big horns, referring to the protuberant valves on the gumnut.] A tall open-crowned tree, Red Stringybark grows mainly on the drier ground, but persists further down, but not actually in the gully. The fibrous bark is greyish-brown and peels off in strips to reveal red-brown inner bark. Adult leaves are spear shaped, dark green and glossy, with a maximum length of 12cm.
Creamy white flowers appear from January to April. Seed can be collected all year round. Place gumnuts on oven tray and heat at 200C. for 15 minutes to release seed. Store in frig for 4-6 weeks, then expect germination 6-8 weeks. Red Stringybark provides food for animals, birds and insects. Hollows in old trees provide habitat, and bark provides nesting materials.
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Eucalyptus rubida
Candlebark
("rubida" means red patches)
Candlebark prefers the cooler soils near Watsons Creek and the school entry road, tending to persist a little further away from the creek influence than Manna Gum. The trunk is shiny white, with red patches appearing seasonally as the bark is shed. Bark shreds do not persist on the tree, as in Manna Gum, but come away in large slabs or strips. Older trees retain dark, rough bark at the base of the trunk, and develop characteristic bumps, seen here.
Juvenile leaves, seen below growing from an injury, are rounded and greyish.[Compare to Manna Gum] Adult leaves are long and narrow.
White flowers appear in threes from November to February. Collect gumnuts between February and May, then leave on a tray for valves to open and release seed. Expect germination in 4-8 weeks.
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Eucalyptus viminalis
Manna Gum
("viminalis" means willow-like, referring to the habit of dropping branches)
This tree is an important food source for koalas, Sugar Gliders, insects and birds, and also provides nesting habitat in the hollows that form once they reach 200 years old. The name Manna Gum comes from the sugary sap that is exuded in summer through holes bored in twigs by lerps [sap-sucking insects]. This sap was collected by the Wurundjeri, and either eaten raw, or mixed with Acacia gum and dissolved in water. 9 kg. can be collected from a single tree, but if not gathered quickly, will be carried away by ants. Koalas have been poisoned by eating juvenile leaves after bushfires, as they have a high cyanide content.This is the largest tree around the school, growing in the deep, rich soil adjacent to Watsons Creek. Bark is shed in ribbons from the grey-white trunk and branches. These ribbons remain hanging in the tree, and help differentiate between Manna Gum and Candlebark, which sheds bark in pieces .The base of the trunk is covered with thick dark bark. In younger trees, this bark can cover the entire trunk. Juvenile leaves, shown below growing from an injured tree, are green and pointed. [Compare to Candlebark, which has round juvenile foliage.] Adult leaves are long, narrow and dark green. Flowering time is January to May. Seed collection can be difficult due to the height, but is available all year round. Allow valves to open and release seed; expect germination 4-8 weeks.
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Acacia dealbata
Silver Wattle
Silver Wattle grows in the damp, fertile soil near Watsons Creek. It has silvery bark and bluish- green feathery leaves, with an oil gland at the base of each set of leaflets. [Compare with Late Black Wattle, where glands occur randomly]
Flowering time is July to October, with seeds maturing late November to early December. Watch carefully as seed will be released within a few days of ripening. Pour boiling water over seeds, and leave for 24 hours. Expect germination in 4-10 weeks.
Silver Wattle is an important forage plant for bats, birds and butterflies of the area, particularly for the Imperial Blue butterfly. It was an important Koori plant, used to make stone axe handles. The gum was collected and dissolved in water with nectar as a mild flavoured drink, and also mixed with ash to make a waterproof sealant.
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Acacia mearnsii
Late Black Wattle
This tree grows in drier well drained situations, often as a response to some disturbance such as fire. Fast growing, but relatively short lived,the Black Wattle is prone to disease and insect attack which give it a motley look. The bark is brown-black and hard on mature trees. Leaves are dark green and feather-like, with the glands irregularly spaced along the main leaf stem.(Compare with Silver Wattle) Pale yellow strongly scented flowers appear in late spring. Straight hairy green seed pods mature to yellow-brown or black, and are ready for collection mid to late December. Seed is only held for a few days, so must be watched. Soak with near boiling water for several hours before sowing. Expect germination 4-8 weeks.
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Acacia Melanoxylon
Blackwood
Blackwood is the longest-living wattle in this area, with relatively low populations. It grows in the deep, moist soil adjacent to Watsons Creek, The bark is grey-brown, hard and scaly, shedding in vertical strips.
As a seedling, the leaves are divided and feathery looking. Over the first year, these leaves get progressively smaller, and the stem widens and flattens to form the adult foliage, called phyllodes. These are dull green, 6-15cm. long, up to 3cm. wide, with 3-5 main veins running lengthwise.
Creamy yellow flowers appear from July to September, followed by twisted seedpod from late December to early February. Watch carefully as seeds are released from pods about a week after ripening. Cover seed with boiling water and leave for 24 hours before sowing. Expect germination in 4-6 weeks. Blackwood provides food and habitat for birds and butterflies, including the regionally depleted Blue Jewel Butterfly known to breed in this location. The Koories used the tree to make fishing lines, weapons and medicines.
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Exocarpus cupressiformis
Native Cherry or Cherry Ballart
[“Exocarpus” means outside fruit and “cupressiformis” means like a cyprus]
This tree, growing 3-8m. high, thrives in the drier, shallow soil away from the creek’s influence. The foliage is yellowish-green , often with bronze toning. It consists not of leaves, but of small scales which do the work of leaves. Tiny flowers less than 1mm. long precede the fruit, which appears in early spring, and ripens from October through to January. The fruit consists of a swollen stem that turns red when ripe, with the seed on the end. This positioning helps to spread the seed, as birds and animals must eat it to get to the juicy part.
Native Cherry is a parasitic plant that derives nutrients from its host, which is usually another woody plant. A specialised organ called a haustorium grows from its roots and attaches to the roots of another plant by means of suckers, which do not damage or injure the host. The Native Cherry has proven nearly impossible to propagate, so care must be taken to preserve these trees. The fruit was eaten by the Koories, and still remains a tasty, nutrition-rich snack for bushwalkers.
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