The beautiful twisted trunks of gimlet trees

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Two things fell into place for me when we visited Mangowine Homestead in the Central Wheatbelt area of Western Australia. For some years, I’ve been intrigued by a tree which grows with a twisted/fluted trunk. I assumed it was just a freak of nature but at Mangowine, these twisted timbers are evident in and around the buildings. it seems these trees are gimlets or Eucalyptus salubris and one of the mallet family. ‘Salubris’ means healthful or wholesome and refers to the healthy appearance of the tree. The common name ‘gimlet’ refers to the fluted trunk which is reminiscent of a carpenter’s boring tool. Gimlets grow from 4–15 m (13–49 ft) high. I was impressed that the seed capsules produce 400 viable seeds from every gram. The timber is used for fence posts and shade trees for stock. Bee-keepers set their hives among gimlets and the bark has a high tannin content. They are frost resistant, drought tolerant and grown throughout the world.