Moreton Bay ash

Corymbia tessellaris, Fam. Myrtaceae

Tree 12-30m tall with a straight trunk.


Weed Category:
Weed:	No
Form or habit:	Med tree, Large Tree
Family:	Myrtaceae
Leaf:	Simple Alternate Adult leaves are alternate, pendulous, dull grey-green in colour, 12-16cm x 1-1.6cm.
Flower conspicuous:	Conspicuous
Flower colour:	White, Cream
Flower description:	Cream-white, compound, axillary, low-hemispherical bud cap. November to February.
Fruit conspicuous:	Conspicuous
Fruit colour:	Brown, Green
Fruit:	Dry
Fruit description:	Green maturing to brown, cylindrical to urn shaped capsules, thin-walled, 8-11mm in length and 6-8mm wide with valves enclosed.
Habitat:	Beach scrub, beach strand, coastal dune, littoral rainforest, open forest, woodland.
Distribution	Eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Food source for:	Flowers provide food for the black, grey-headed and little red flying-foxes, also the musk, scaly-breasted and little lorikeets. The nectar is an important food source for the little, musk, rainbow, and scaly-breasted lorikeets, and also the friarbird, banded, brown-backed, graceful and white-gaped honeyeaters. Pollen is also consumed by the musk lorikeet. The Moreton Bay Ash is also of ecological importance to the larval stage of theHeteromicta tripartitella which feed on dead leaves. Finally the koala also eats the leaves but rarely.
Toxicity:	No toxicity known
Origin:	Australia
Notes:
Information sources:	Melzer R. & Plumb J. (2007) Plants of Capricornia., Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics., Stanley T. & Ross E. (2002) Flora of south-eastern Queensland: Volume 2