Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Angophora costata subsp. costata

Flowers, flower buds, and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg. Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Gumnuts and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg. Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Trunk. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Common name

Sydney red gum, Rusty gum, Smooth-barked apple

Family

Myrtaceae

Where found

Forest. Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands, north of Bega.

Notes

Tree to 30 m tall. Bark smooth, shedding in small scales. Young stems rounded in cross section, smooth. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, opposite each other. Juvenile leaves 6-12.5 cm long, 20-65 mm wide, bases stem-clasping, surfaces green, hairless, margins entire, tips pointed. Adult leaves 7-19 cm long, 12-35 mm wide, glossy green, surfaces different colours, margins entire, tips pointed.  Flower clusters 3 flowered, rarely 7 flowered. Flowers with 4-5 petals, white or creamy white with a green stripe down the back, each 3-4 mm long. Mature buds 4–8 mm long, 5-7 mm in diameter. Buds and gumnuts longitudinally ribbed. Stamens with filaments to about 7 mm long, white or creamy white. Gumnuts 7-17 mm in diameter. Gumnuts that have dropped their seed have valves that are not very noticeable. Flowers Spring to Summer.

PlantNET description:  https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Angophora~costata+subsp.~costata  (accessed 17 April 2021)

EUCLIDdescription: https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/angophora_costata_subsp._costata.htm (accessed 17 April 2021)