Another example of the significant trees in Bellbird Corner Riverside Reserve is this Red Gum photographed on a grey winter’s day.
As has probably been mentioned previously, the Red Gums in the reserve are mainly Gippsland Red Gums, E. tereticornis sub-species mediana, plus a sprinkling of trees that show hints of River Red Gum, E. camaldulensis in the buds. The area is of course where the two species merge, leading to interbreeding. Buds collected beneath this tree however are classic camaldulensis, and the appearance of the tree seems to bear that out. It is massive, with a trunk circumference at chest height of 5.1 metres. About three metres above the ground the trunk gives way to a number of huge limbs climbing skyward.
Here are two more views of the other side of the tree showing the scale of these limbs. It appears too that inosculation has taken place, with limbs growing together as they have increased in size. A magnificent tree, long may it continue to thrive.
