Angophora
Encyclopedia
Angophora is a genus of ten species of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

s or large shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...

), native to eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is closely related to Corymbia
Corymbia
Corymbia is a genus of about 113 species of tree that were classified as Eucalyptus species until the mid-1990s. It includes the bloodwoods, ghost gums and spotted gums. The bloodwoods had been recognised as a distinct group within the large and diverse Eucalyptus genus since 1867...

and Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

, and all three are often referred to as "eucalypts". The differences are that Angophora have opposite leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 rather than alternate, and lack a bud cap or operculum
Operculum (botany)
An operculum, in botany, is a term generally used to describe a structure within a plant, moss, or fungus acting as a cap, flap, or lid. In plants, it may also be called a bud cap.Examples of structures identified as opercula include:...

. Angophora also has fruit with sharp ribs, while the fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

 of Eucalyptus is usually smooth.

The species vary in appearance from a bushy form, such as the Dwarf Apple (Angophora hispida
Angophora hispida
Angophora hispida grows as a malee, or as a tree to about 7 m in height.A. hispidas small size, especially when compared to its Angophora and Eucalyptus relatives, leads to it being known by the common name Dwarf Apple...

), to tall trees growing to a height of 30 m. The bark is rough and scaly. The lanceolate leaves are darkgreen. The creamy white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s grow in large inflorescences.

The name Angophora comes from the Greek phora ("carries") from phoreus ("carrier") from pherein ("to carry"), and angos, meaning "box", "jar" or "vessel": this refers to the cup-shaped fruit borne by members of the genus.

List of species

Some of the better known angophoras are:
  • Angophora bakeri
    Angophora bakeri
    Angophora bakeri, known as the narrow-leaved or small-leaved apple, is a common woodland and forest shrub or tree of eastern Australia. It grows between two and ten metres tall on dry sandy soils. Named in honour of Richard Thomas Baker...

    (Narrow-leaved Apple).
  • Angophora floribunda
    Angophora floribunda
    Angophora floribunda is a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia and is known by a variety of names including Rough-barked apple, Apple box, Rusty gum, and Boondah....

    (Rough-barked Apple). A tall, spreading evergreen found in New South Wales
    New South Wales
    New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

    , Queensland
    Queensland
    Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

     and Victoria
    Victoria (Australia)
    Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

    , with twisted branches, leathery leaves and clusters of fluffy cream flowers at the end of the branches in summer.
  • Angophora costata
    Angophora costata
    Angophora costata is a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia and is known by a variety of names including smooth-barked apple, rose gum, rose apple or Sydney red gum. It grows primarily on sandstone soils, usually on headlands, plateaus or other elevated areas. A...

    (Smooth-barked Apple or Sydney Red Gum). A hardy medium-sized tree with twisted branches, cream flowers and smooth mottled bark, which is orange in summer and pinkish-grey in winter. It is commonly found growing out of crevices in sandstone.
  • Angophora crassifolia
    Angophora crassifolia
    Angophora crassifolia is a small tree growing in the northern parts of Sydney, Australia. A rare plant with a ROTAP rating of 2RCA. It seems to be restricted to the plateau areas in and around Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Garigal National Park, growing on lateritic soils.A small tree to 15...

    A rare species found north of Sydney
    Sydney
    Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

  • Angophora exsul. A threatened species, known only from a small area at Gibraltar Rock, New South Wales. This tree grows to 8 m tall. The terminal inflorescence is compound.
  • Angophora hispida
    Angophora hispida
    Angophora hispida grows as a malee, or as a tree to about 7 m in height.A. hispidas small size, especially when compared to its Angophora and Eucalyptus relatives, leads to it being known by the common name Dwarf Apple...

    (Dwarf Apple), formerly known as Angophora cordifolia, this large, hardy shrub has clusters of white flowers, heart-shaped leaves and red hairs on the bark. The new growth is also reddish
  • Angophora inopina, a vulnerable species, a small tree growing to 8 m tall.
  • Angophora robur, a vulnerable species.
  • Angophora subvelutina
    Angophora subvelutina
    Angophora subvelutina, known as the Broad-leaved Apple, is a common woodland and forest tree of eastern Australia. Usually seen on river flats between 12 and 20 metres tall, though exceptional specimens exceed 35 metres tall. One of the habitats west of Sydney is on poorly drained alluvial flats...

    (Broad-leaved Apple).
  • Angophora woodsiana (Smudgy Apple).

Molecular studies

Recent studies indicate that Angophora is more closely related to Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

than Corymbia
Corymbia
Corymbia is a genus of about 113 species of tree that were classified as Eucalyptus species until the mid-1990s. It includes the bloodwoods, ghost gums and spotted gums. The bloodwoods had been recognised as a distinct group within the large and diverse Eucalyptus genus since 1867...

, and names for all species have been published for sinking into that genus.

External links

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