Eucalyptus amplifolia

Cabbage gum
File:Eucalyptus amplifolia trunk.jpg
Cabbage gum, bark
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Eucalyptus
Species:	E. amplifolia
Binomial name
Eucalyptus amplifolia Naudin

Eucalyptus amplifolia, known as the cabbage gum, is a common eucalyptus tree of the coastal areas and tablelands of New South Wales and adjacent areas in south eastern Queensland, occurring as far south as Bega.

The tree can grow to 30 metres tall in forest situations, though it is often shorter in sparser woodland areas. It is often found by streams on in lower moister sites, in grassy woodlands, in the deeper loamy type soils.

Juvenile leaves are round in shape, and are of a dull green colour. Adult leaves are lanceolate in shape, 9 to 20 cm long, and 1.5 to 4.5 cm wide, with a dull green on both sides of the leaf. The gumnuts are small, 4 to 6 mm long and 5 to 8 mm in diameter, with several exserted valves (sharp wooden points emerging out of the top of the gumnut). The bark strips off the entire trunk in patches, leaving a mixed surface of grey, white and bluish/grey bark, which can be smooth or mottled in patches.

Sub species

There is a different variety of the cabbage gum in northern New South Wales, occurring near the Tenterfield, Armidale and Casino districts. The sub species sessiliflora has no stalk or almost no stalk on the flowers and gumnuts, while the sub species amplifolia has stalked gumnuts and flowers.

References

• A Field Guide to Eucalypts - Brooker & Kleinig volume 1, ISBN 0-909605-62-9 page 162