Swamp Gum HelloMojo at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Swamp Gum

Lowland Leadbeater’s Possum and Helmeted Honeyeater feed on the flowers of this species, which flowers at a different time from the Mountain Swamp Gum. This overlap of flowering time provides food across an extended period for these creatures.

Small to medium tree, 20 m tall. Bark is variable, dark and rough at the butt; upper trunk and branches peel in ribbons.

Leaves

Juvenile leaves are short-stalked, almost circular. Adult leaves are thick, glossy, dark green, ovate shaped, usually has a wavy edge.

Flowers

White cluster of 3 - 10 (often 7).

Fruits/Seeds

Usually cone-shaped with a flat top.

Field Guide

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Species: WhatToObserve Image

What to Observe

  • First fully open single flower

  • Full flowering (record all days)

  • End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)

  • No flowering

  • Fruiting

Species: WhenAndWhere Image

When and Where

When To Look

  • Flowers March to November

Where To Look

  • Widespread in south-eastern Australia
  • Coast to foothills, especially on soils poorly drained in winter, alluvial flats, valleys, flat areas
Species: WhatElse Image

What Else?

Similar Species

E. camphora is smaller with smaller fruit and a less upright form.

E. strzleckii and E. bunyip are distinguished by glandular (secretory structure on the surface, smooth, shiny, bead-like outgrowth) leaves, discolourous (leaf sides are different colours) juvenile leaves, and glaucous (blue-green colour) new growth of adult leaves.

E. brookeriana is distinguished by the glossy green, minutely scalloped (repeated convex curved pattern), glandular, discolourous juvenile leaves.