Thread: Corymbia Torelliana

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

A pic from back in 2005, lunch time in the canopy,

Brilliant...MM

I'm lucky if I can remember even the common name for any tree I think I recognize, but how does that tree look different to Moreton Bay Ash/Carbeen/Corymbia tessellaris?

Franklin

I have a number freshly, dry-cleaned charlatan brand hats all ready to sweep up and place on my head as the occasion calls. I am now wearing my tree hat.

As I think you are indicating, the Moreton Bay Ash, Carbeen and Corymbia tessellaris are the same tree. Many species of trees, particularly within similar groups are hard to identify from a single feature such as the trunk or leaves. It frequently has to be a combination of features. The rough sock of bark at the base of the these two trees and their fruits (gum nuts) are the main points off difference. The Carbeen has a testellated bark ( many small rectangular shapes similar to the white and grey box) while the Cadaghi (local name in my area) bark is more flaky and papery.

The gum nuts on the Cadaghi are more rounded. Otherwise, the trees do have a similar overall look.

We had a couple of large trees alongside the house and much too close as the limbs were threatening to fall. We engaged a local tree lopper to bring them down by cutting segments off working from the top. One tree we could not identify, but I have milled up a few boards and used them for hand saw handles. The other tree was a Gidaghi, but my lopper mate maintained it was useless for anything and was very dismissive. We still have the stumps remaining as SWMBO wanted to use them as planter stands. These are they, but I can't remember which was which

P1040560 (Medium).JPG P1040561 (Medium).JPG

However, being a hoarder by nature and wanting to try almost anything, I did take a small section of the Gidaghi log and cut it up in case it could make a saw handle:

P1040558 (Medium).JPG P1040559 (Medium).JPG

The grain looks a little coarse, but I often oil the timber before finishing and this seems to minimise coarser grain woods. It seems quite pleasing without being spectacular.

Regards
Paul

TBH I'm just glad to have moved marginally past the "Ah, it's a gum tree" level.

The definition of a weed is "a plant in the wrong place". Something invaluable in its 'proper' habitat can be a very different proposition when planted in the 'wrong' place. We have some pretty fragile ecosystems in Aus., which are all too easy to mess up by adding ingredients that have come from an entirely different one. While a plant may seem to be providing food & habitat for lots of animals, it may well be that it's good for some (very visible) opportunists, but at the expense of a lot of other creatures that may play an essential role in the local ecosystem. In general, urban areas are such stuffed-up systems that it hardly matters, but it can matter a lot when certain plants 'escape' into the surrounding bushland. Where I live, on the fringes of suburban Brisbane, Cadagi is way out of its native range, and it competes strongly with our local Corymbia (C. maculata, or Spottd Gum). The local seed-eaters don't seem to have developed a taste for the seeds, so it spreads like, well, like a weed...


C. torelliana was one of the first 'natives' to be widely planted round Brisbane in the 60's, so there are quite a few biggies around nowadays, plus many, many offspring! We don't have Red-tails here, & the the local Yellow-tails & Sulphur-cresteds don't seem to recognise the torreliana nuts as edible (yet both do a right number on the exotic Pinus radiata cones). So the tree which someone planted in our yard about 30 years ago, has reproduced itself many, many times over - it's on a hill so the seeds wash down & pop up all over the place. I keep the new seedlings in check with my trusty mattock, but several were already too big to tackle when we arrived.

C. torrelliana has two features that have made it unpopular in an urban setting. The most noticeable one is that it keep its juvenile leaves for a very, very long time (our 30-plus yr old specimen referred to still has them). These secrete a glutinous exudate that is beloved of a particular fungus, & anything left under one for even a short time gets covered by a gummy black residue - doesn't do a lot of good for car paintwork.

Its other feature is it is a 'self-pruner', which is nice if you are growing them for timber, but a bit of a hazard in parks & backyards - our tree regularly drops branches up to 75mm diameter when it's done with them, and one of those coming from 25-30 feet up could re-arrange your skull bones, I reckon! Branch-dropping seems to be a feature of Corymbias, our local 'Spotted gum' (C. maculata ) also has a habit of dropping branches for no apparent reason. It also weeps keno copiously from even minor wounds, so don't park under those, either...

Anyway, I'm giving the big Cadagi in my yard a few more years to build up its heartwood, then it's going to feel the chainsaw, if I can still wield it.....

Cheeers,

Yep i reckon this tree would have beautiful grain with all that Birds-eye feature...MM

I happened across this information leaflet today. Corymbia torelliana is one of the few trees residents can self access to damage/remove on the Gold Coast, along with cocos palms, slash pine and umbrella trees. Pretty much considered a pest weed.

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

I happened across this information leaflet today. Corymbia torelliana is one of the few trees residents can self access to damage/remove on the Gold Coast, along with cocos palms, slash pine and umbrella trees. Pretty much considered a pest weed.

Fuzzie the theme of the thread wasn't to bring to attention which local council jurisdictions now classify this species as a weed!Rather,and i say it yet again,to highlight the lovely form and potential figure within the timber of the tree photographed.I wont be drawn into an argument regarding the 'weed status' of this species...that can be addressed in ANOTHER thread...MM

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

Fuzzie the theme of the thread wasn't to bring to attention which local council jurisdictions now classify this species as a weed!Rather,and i say it yet again,to highlight the lovely form and potential figure within the timber of the tree photographed.I wont be drawn into an argument regarding the 'weed status' of this species...that can be addressed in ANOTHER thread...MM

Yes the subject tree certainly has potential, as Cadaghi is a nice timber to work with. Perhaps those wood turners & wood workers with ready access to trees declared as "pest species" should consider themselves lucky.

As far as confusing Cadagi and Moreton Bay Ash, the former has much much larger leaves and the overall form of the tree is quite different.

Have a friend with a serving bar made from Cadagi and I admire it every time I visit his house.

In my view, there is no better proportioned gum nuts anywhere, they have beautiful form.

Being a stingless beekeeper or meloponist, you become well aware if you have Cadagi in your area as the bees bring the seeds home on their hind legs. The Cadagi seedlings come up close to the hive.

The following article describes the process. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2017195...n_tab_contents

The resin is very attractive to them and has a lot of anti microbial properties. The seeds can be so numerous that they can clog the hive entrance. The jury is out about the resin. It has a low melting temperature and the hive structure can collapse on plus 40 degree days if the hive does not have supporting structure to prevent it. But in saying that, I know a stingless beekeeper with many colonies who wants to buy the resin from those who have a surplus.

Thanks for the photos Mapleman.