The Red, White and Blue of Gum Trees

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Isn't it strange sometimes how stuff you've grown up with doesn't make an impact until one day it hits you between the eyes? It's only today I've realised Australia has a red gum, a blue gum and a white gum. How can this be that I've never noticed this before? The tree that fell over in the storm and is now drying out in our small woodshed was a redgum or marri (Corymbia calophyalla, also known as Eucalyptus calophyalla). Along with other species it is known as a 'bloodwood' and the reason for that was very evident in the tree we cut up today. Where the tree had been damaged at some stage was a mass of dark red gum. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it. This tree also has large buds and fruit. The gumnuts are known to locals as honky nuts. When birds drop these nuts on the top of the workshop we nearly jump out of our skins as the nuts are large and make a loud noise. The Queensland blue-gum (Eucalyptus globulus) is one of the most widely cultivated native Australian trees. The juvenile leaves are a blue-grey which accounts for the name 'blue gum'. They are grown in plantations, and not just in Australia (ask @Inlemay), to provide timber for pulping. They are fast-growing which accounts for their popularity but the species is now sometimes regarded as a pest as it takes over from native species. They shed their bark in long, stringy strips. The white gum is a lovely tree. The name encompasses a large number of species throughout Australia. In Western Australia, the local species is also called wandoo and the taxonomical name is Eucalyptus wandoo. The bark is smooth and often mottled in colour and the flowers are white. The wood is extremely dense and is used for railway sleepers and wood flooring. It was once used for fence-posts too. The blossom is also prized by apiarists. The photo is of another tree altogether – Corymbia ficifolia – or red-flowering gum. This was once in the genus Eucalyptus but has recently been moved to 'Corymbia'. It is often grown as a street tree and makes a spectacular display when it blooms. So there we have it – the red, white and blue of gum trees.