Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii

Maiden's Gum, Blue Gum at Wyndham, NSW

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii at Wyndham, NSW - 12 May 2020
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Identification history

Unidentified 18 May 2020 JoyGeorgeson

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User's notes

Most of the eucalypts are producing epicormic shoots of various shades depending on species. The area in the photo which was burnt in February was predominantly white stringybark (eucalyptus globoidia) with some coastal grey box. How will this growth affect the trees? Will they develop 'normal' growth of leaves in the future? Does the regrowth weaken the trees?

3 comments

JackieMiles wrote:
   20 May 2020
All good, that's how eucs recover from severe fire. In a lower intensity fire the new shoots are along the upper branches, but if the branches get really scorched then they sprout from lower down on the trunk, where the thicker bark protects the epicormic buds under the bark from the heat of the fire. The higher ones will eventually develop into new branches and I'd guess the lower ones will drop off, but in the meantime they are photosynthesising and helping the tree to stay alive. Based on the very blue colour of the juvenile leaves I'd say you have Maiden's Blue Gum, E. maidenii in this photo. It's common round Wyndham. Some eucs that grow in less fire-prone areas like up in the alps (e.g. snow gum) or on creek flats (e.g. the local River Peppermint, E. elata) are only capable of resprouting from the lignotuber (which is the woody rootstock of the tree, just below ground), so they tend to produce a bunch of new stems at ground level to replace the main stem that was killed by the fire, so you get a multi-trunked tree. And some are incapable of resprouting at all and have to come back from seed (e.g White Ash that grows up at Pheasants Peak and on top of Brown Mountain and Mount Imlay. But that's pretty unusual, given the fire-prone nature of most Aussie veg.
JoyGeorgeson wrote:
   21 May 2020
Very interesting information, thank you! Yes, there are a lot of Euc maidenii on the property, especially on the south facing slopes.
JackieMiles wrote:
   21 May 2020
Oops, I forgot we are supposed to be calling it E. globulus subsp maidenii these days. And just to clarify the terminology further, the growth on the trunks is called epicormic shoots.

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  • > 10,001 Abundance
  • 12 May 2020 11:37 AM Recorded on
  • JoyGeorgeson Recorded by

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  • Greater than 5 metres Plant height

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