Angophora costata

Angophora costata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Angophora
Species:	A. costata
Binomial name
	Angophora costata; (Gaertn.) Britten
Synonyms
	Eucalyptus apocynifolia Brooker

Angophora costata is a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia, and is known by a variety of names including smooth-barked apple, rose gum, rose apple and Sydney red gum. It grows primarily on sandstone soils, usually on headlands, plateaus or other elevated areas. A. costata differs from the majority of "gum trees" in that it is not a true Eucalyptus, but rather a closely related genus. Unlike the majority of eucalypts, whose adult leaves are arranged in an alternate pattern along the stem, angophora leaves are positioned opposite each other. A. costata is a large, wide and spreading tree, usually of a height between 15m and 25m. The trunk is often gnarled and crooked with a pink to pale grey, sometimes rusty-stained bark. In nature, the butts of broken limbs form callused bumps on the trunk and add to the gnarled appearance. The old bark is shed in spring in large flakes with the new salmon-pink bark turning pale grey before the next shedding.

Recent genetic work has been published showing Angophora to be more closely related to Eucalyptus than Corymbia, and the name Eucalyptus apocynifolia has been proposed for this species if it were to be placed in the genus Eucalyptus.^[1]

Description

Angophora costata grows into a large tree (although it is often stunted or mallee-like) and is characterised by a distinctive orange or pink hue to trunk when bark has been newly shed. The colour fades with time and is a more subdued greyish hue in winter. White flowers occur in summer.

Cultivation

This is a large plant generally unsuitable for any but the largest gardens.

Significant individuals

Angophora Reserve in the Sydney suburb of Avalon was named after a huge individual, reportedly around 300 years of age. That tree died in the late 20th century.^[2] Also in Sydney, the upper Lane Cove River Valley has several large Sydney red gums, one near Conscript Pass was measured at 43 metres tall. The largest known living tree (241 cm diameter) is located at Hobsonville near Auckland, New Zealand.^[3]

Gallery

Features of the Angophora costata
Adult leaves
Inflorescence
Fruit with ridges
Trunk bark
Shedding trunk bark
Upper trunk
Twisting habit

References

^ Brooker, M.I.H. (2000), A new classification of the genus Eucalyptus L'Her. (Myrtaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 13(1): 135
^ "'Angophora Reserve, Pittwater Council".
^ "Tree Information". The Zealand Tree Register. Retrieved 15 July 2011.

External links

"Angophora costata". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.

[1] Brooker, M.I.H. (2000), A new classification of the genus Eucalyptus L'Her. (Myrtaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 13(1): 135

[2] "'Angophora Reserve, Pittwater Council".

[3] "Tree Information". The Zealand Tree Register. Retrieved 15 July 2011.

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