The header picture is of Corymbia ficifolia (syn. Eucalyptus ficifolia), commonly known as the Red Flowering Gum. While this is an orange form, there are many other colour forms of this species, mostly in the orange-red range, although they can be white right through to deep crimson in colour. Also this species has been used as a parent of many cultivars, some of which are available as grafts (usually using Corymbia maculata, Syn. E. maculata as the rootstock).
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| Red form of Corymbia ficifolia |
From my experience this species and many of its hybrids produce an incredible amount of nectar, enough that several bunches of flowers would be enough to produce a glassful - no wonder the bees love it!
The tree is often used in amenity horticulture because of its habit of producing large numbers of conspicously displayed flowers. It is sensitive to heavy frost although with a protection it can survive in a place such as Canberra (-10 C is the lowest recorded temperature). It is most usually quite small but can reach up to 10 or so metres. In colder climates the frosts often 'prune' it so that it becomes a very dense shrub or small tree.
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| Corymbia 'Summer Beauty' is a cross between C. ficifolia and C. ptychocarpa |
In the wild this tree hails from a relatively small area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is not only popular with people, being extremely attractive to nectar feeding insects and birds. All in all a great plant to start the blog off with - enjoy.
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