Bundaberg Landcare

02/06/2026

You have to wonder whether the same minerals that create the salt licks have something to do with the colour of the bark on this Corymbia maculata.
Indeed these variations could be caused by anything from straight out genetic variation and natural hybridization with similar species to soil type ,moisture and altitude.

The variations in this/these species have always been surrounded by a lot of conjecture.

So in view of the article below perhaps only Corymbia citriodora with an obvious leaf perfume should be separated out as an individual species and all other in the extended family should be termed Corymbia maculata / 'subspecies variable' and leave it at that.

If we want to keep the providence of an area harvest the seeds from that area and hopefully with more technical drones one day this will be a lot easier than it is at present.
We should not however forget that flying foxes the great pollinators travel many hundreds of kilometres pollinating Eucalypt species and thus spread genetics among the forests, thereby keeping them healthy via the genetic integration.
So perhaps out of a range of 100 km would be a safe bet for collecting seed?

Anyway that's my 10 cents for what it's worth.

So I'm going to include a recent extract from qpi below with thanks to Martin Bennett.
Extract from qpi FYI follows..

'Warning to all reveg/bushcare groups!'

I have been told no-one can agree on the best nomenclature, so we have this dilemma that confronts us, if you want to replant/reveg Spotted gum the old Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata you will need to ask for the local provenance of Spotted gum not Lemon scented gum, this is for natural areas -not for around the house.

Planting Lemon scented gum in place of Spotted gum would be a terrible environmental mistake.

The ALA map below shows this as a terrible mistake, this is the map you get when you ask for the distribution of Lemon scented gums, when in fact Spotted gums are now mixed in to this distribution.

Corymbia citriodora

Eucalyptus citriodora

E. maculata var. citriodora

Eucalyptus maculata var. citriodora

Eucalyptus maculata

Eucalyptus variegata

Corymbia variegata

Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata

Now Blakella citriodora Lemon scented gum, Spotted gum.

End of article.

Go to Qpi and enter the word 'nomenclature' in 'search' and it should get you to the article (which I have placed here verbatim)- along with the mapping concerned.

Good common sense and trying to maintain providence if it all possible is the rule of thumb it's as simple as that.

01/06/2026

30/05/2026

Never know what you're going to find in the bush and there's always plenty of funny moments as you enjoy the beauty of natural springs.. here's one of those moments

30/05/2026

An inspiring talk on truth and justice which should never have political barriers

John Rushing, a correspondent for Al Jazeera English's Fault Lines, made a moving speech while accepting a News Emmy award for the team's film "Kids Under Fi...

30/05/2026

Vines both rainforest and dryland are not something that usually interests many people, however they are very important for our butterfly and bee populations which often move along the top of the canopies in search of nectar and pollen .
Though I wouldn't recommend many of these for a suburban garden if you happen to border on a waterway or a patch of remnant rainforest there are a few which are highly perfumed and certainly worth having around.
Having said that I would never plant Parsonsia species (commonly known as silkpods) these are the ones commonly referred to as 'Monkey rope' and they are known to be able to pull mature trees down due to their rapid growth.
Coincidentally both this and the Harlequin fruit are both from the Dogbane family Apocynaceae, known for their poisonous properties - however that does not apply to the Harlequin fruit according to reliable sources.

I had only ever seen this vine in one location around the dry rainforest of Bundaberg but that is not to say that it wasn't there, this one on a Creek near Bingera Weir was covering a small rainforest tree and although seemingly an old Vine it was causing no harm at all.
Common names for this plant include Bellbird Vine, Southern Melodinus, Melodinus, Harlequin Fruit, Paiamara, Wongali...I just call them Harlequin fruit because it's easy to remember.
The vine is described as a woody scrambling species which is not rampant, it lives best in dappled shade has perfumed yellow flowers in summer and autumn followed by the colourful fruit which is apparently very sweet and one of the favorite food sources for a number of birds including flying foxes the sulphur crested cockatoo as well as cassowaries (extract Cooper and Cooper 1994)
Indigenous used the vine stems to tie objects including during use for food preparation, this is a very hardy and adaptable plant best in rich soil with some moisture nearby ,remembering that the sticky milky sap is toxic like all other members of the family.
This species is widespread up the East Coast of Australia from southern New South Wales into North Queensland up into Papua New Guinea.
Other family members include Melodinus acutiflorus commonly named White-flowered melodinus, byamurra or merangarra. This species has a similar range although not as large as the Harlequin fruit. We have never had this plant at our nursery but I will be attempting to raise some.
First identified by one of Australia's greatest botanists Ferdinand von Mueller and classified as Chilocarpus australis in 1861. The species was later formally transferred to the Melodinus genus with its current accepted name by the French botanist Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre in 1898.

29/05/2026

I first heard of these 'mineral licks' up around the Bullyard Gin Gin area.
These are almost always located in overhanging sedimentary rocks and highly mineralized clay outcrops which have eroded away.
These are found displaying multiple small cave like areas of dusty white or pale orange soils where kangaroos and other animals have pawed away at the walls of the rock so as to access the minerals.
There was one of these rock out crops about 50 metres up behind where this rock was found (complete with its own hollowed out licking hole) so it had no doubt rolled down the hill and was wedged amongst the roots of this old Stringy bark. No doubt saving the animals climbing up to the cliffs to get there essential vitamins and minerals when needed.
Rocks and soils that kangaroos and other animals lick or eat for essential minerals and salts are universally called mineral licks or salt licks.
These deposits are highly sought after by wildlife because they provide nutrients that are otherwise lacking in their plant-based diets, such as sodium, magnesium, and sulfur.
The scientific term for animals eating soil, clay, or mineral-rich rocks is Geophagy.
Researchers at the University of Queensland discovered that eastern grey kangaroos regularly visit these natural lick sites, especially large males and lactating females who need higher sodium levels.
So there you have it even animals need their supplements.

29/05/2026

This morphing of branches or trunks into one singular trunk is a quirky habit that Corymbia maculata (Spotty gums) are prone to, thus giving this moulded 'double barrel' effect.
The conditions where this one is growing is certainly very harsh but that is the preferred habitat of the species so even though this one isn't overly large it would probably still come in at something like 50 to 60 years old.

23/05/2026

Easy to plant trees /hard to look after them., and the present lack of rainfall is certainly not helping with worse expected .
So we brought in the big guns to try and get these plants established before summer.
The price is not cheap but the alternative is hundreds of plants dying - and we like our plants alive.

We're probably going to go back to the original plan of using at least a dozen plus water pods possibly in combination with water trucks.

It's always about making it as simple ,safe & efficient as possible with the resources we have to cover such a large area.

23/05/2026

The very versatile Acacia melanoxylon, commonly known as the Australian blackwood also goes by many other common names including BlackSal, Blackwood, Hickory, Mudgerabah, Tasmanian blackwood, or Blackwood acacia.
The tree belongs to the Plurinerves section of Acacia family and is one of the most wide-ranging tree species in eastern Australia.
It's range commences somewhere up near Atherton Tablelands and proceeds all the way down the East Coast and continuing on into Tasmania and across into South Australia.

Obviously with such a large range the tree can cope in a wide variety of podsols especially in sandy loams.
Locally, the closest habitat of the species is Mount Walsh National Park near Biggenden.
The tree certainly doesn't mind the higher altitudes but can also handle quite wet temperate and cool conditions with extremes of summer temperatures, so as we said a very adaptable fast growing tree.

It is very long lived and I have witnessed forests of these in southwestern Victoria where the age of many would be well over 150 years old according to generational farmers.

Blackwoods are presently starting to bud up ready for the cooler months of winter and the flowers have some fragrance and are much loved by the bees.
The dense dark foliage is excellent for fast screening and windbreaks.

The Indigenous had many uses for the tree including making flour from the seed, while the tree's leaves are used as soap or a fishing poison. The bark can be used to make string or a traditional analgesic. The hard timber is used to make clap sticks, spear-throwers and shields.

For carpentry the wood has many uses including wood panels, furniture, fine cabinetry, tools, boats, inlaid boxes and wooden kegs. It is approximately the same quality as walnut, and is well-suited for shaping with steam.
The bark has a tannin content of about 20%. It may also be used for producing decorative veneers.
This tree can also be used as a fire barrier plant, amongst other trees in rural situations.

Plain and figured Australian blackwood is used in musical instrument making (in particular guitars, drums, Hawaiian ukuleles, violin bows and organ pipes), and in recent years has become increasingly valued as a substitute for Koa wood (a Hawaiian hardwood).
We had these in our nursery several years ago but as always we must choose between many species of acacia.
We try to only sell the longest lived /most attractive/ most perfumed and usually the more medium sized species ,so obviously this big'un didn't make the cut.
Frustrating yes ,but it is no use keeping unpopular species which simply don't sell...
However I did plant one of these monsters in our display garden just to see how big it grows several years ago and it is now easily 7-8 metres tall with a fine upright habit.
Certainly that's why I am revisiting the species because we are looking for a large long lived and fast growing tree to assist in forming some foliage density along our Rail Trail asap - and these should fit the bill.

Hopefully the tree will seed well this year and we will have some baby Blackwoods on our trail by Christmas.
Remember if there are any trees that you would like us to grow for you just talk to our helpful staff regarding how we might assist.

23/05/2026

Spotted another fine example of Ficus obliquea common name Small leaf fig at the Barolin Reserve recently.
In an open situation even the oldest trees usually seem no higher than about 8 metres.
We are thinking these would be excellent trees along the rail trail where they can be placed a lot closer to the Trail to provide good solid shade.
Many birds from down south must be moving up along the coast heading for warmer climates with the amount of fruit all these trees are bearing at the moment and on this one tree alone I counted more than a dozen Australasian fig birds ,sometimes called the Red-eyed fig bird that although that is only with regard the male bird. See link for details
Australasian Figbird - The Australian Museum https://share.google/rBwOUdlPjGvczP9tQ

I believe these birds responsible for the majority of the seed dispersal in the coastal areas these days now that many of the pigeon flocks have long since disappeared.

Stock available at our Bundaberg Landcare nursery.