Corymbia ficifolia ( Red Flowering Gum ) is a small flowering tree that is native to Western Australia. Red Flowering Gums are one of the most widely grown Australian natives in the world. The trees are fast growing, drought tolerant and are easy to maintain. Despite the name, flowers can vary in colour to include Red, Pink, Orange and Yellow.
Red Flowering Gums are suitable for Temperate and Dry climates.
Corymbia ficifolia is endemic to the south-western region of Western Australia. The typical climate is quite dry with low rain over summer. Sandy, low-fertile soil is both a feature of the species and one of its challenges. It is easy to maintain a plant that doesn’t require much water, but harder to protect a plant from too much rain.
Successful cultivation of the Red Flowering Gum in eastern states of Australia is much harder due to the regular occurrence of summer rain and lush, fertile soils. The answer may lie in growing in containers that allow gardeners to move locations to suit changing conditions throughout the year.
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Growth
Corymbia ficifolia is a small native tree that usually reaches heights of up to 12 metres (39 feet) and spreads no wider than 5 metres (16 feet). Red Flowering Gum tree have rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches with egg-shaped to broadly lance-shaped adult leaves. Flowers bloom around Christmas time in groups of seven and can be bright red, pink or orange flowers.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to know which flower colour this species will grow from seed until it reaches maturity in around 7-10 years. And as the cuttings of these plant varieties rarely strike, all commercial growing of the Red Flowering Gum is done via seeds.
Note: Germination instructions can be found in the ‘Germination Instructions Tab’ below. Upon purchase you will receive these detailed instructions via email so that you have a permanent record.
FAMILY:
Myrtaceae
CLIMATE:
Cold, Temperate, Sub Tropical.
TEMPERATURE RANGE:
-5 to 25°C / 23 to 77°F
SOIL TYPE:
Well-draining soil.
LOCATION:
Full Sun – Part Shade
HEIGHT:
Up to 12 metres (39 feet)
WIDTH:
Up to 5 metres (16 feet)
pH:
5.5-6.5
GROWTH TYPE:
Evergreen
WATER REQUIREMENTS:
Low-Medium
POLLINATION:
Bees.
MATURITY:
7-10 years
GERMINATION RATES:
75-85%
GERMINATION TIME:
3-4 weeks
GERMINATION DIFFICULTY:
Reasonably Easy
SEEDS PER GRAM:
Approximately 30
MEDICINAL QUALITIES:
No
WEED POTENTIAL:
No
FACTS ABOUT CORYMBIA FICIFOLIA (Red Flowering Gum)
The largest known tree of this species in the world at over 2 metres (8 feet) in diameter is located in Hamilton, New Zealand.
In 1995, the newly created botanical plant genus of Corymbia was created to change the classification of some Eucalyptus varieties that flowered differently. There were eighty such Eucalyptus plants and so prior to 1995, the botanical name for the Red Flowering Gum was Eucalyptus ficifolia. Sounds confusing but most seed and plant distributors freely interchange with the two names.
The main difference is how the eighty new Corymbia tree varieties display their flowers. While traditional Eucalyptus trees appear to have no flowers, they are essentially hiding theirs inside the terminal buds. The eighty re-classified ‘Corymbia’ tree species put on spectacular shows with their flowers.
