Vinegar Tree, Brisbane Box
Lophostemon confertus
Family: Myrtaceae
What it is like
Found in Australia, Lophostemon confertus or commonly known as Vinegar Tree is a fast-growing tree used as a pioneer species for re-establishing woodland. It grows up to 40 m in height. The bole is straight, cylindrical, and can be up to 300 cm in diameter. The bark yields tannins. The wood is very strong and very durable, and usually used in shipbuilding, making bridges, floors, wooden tram rails, and as a general building timber.
Lophostemon confertus is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 30
Where it is found
An emergent tree on the edges of rainforest and in most types of eucalypt forests.
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 4
Shade tree. Street tree. Specimen. Public open space. Large planter. Conservatory. Agroforestry Uses: A fast-growing tree, able to cope with a wide range of soils and climates, it is a good pioneer species for re-establishing woodland. Other Uses The bark is a source of tannins. The wood is pale in colour, sometimes brown, it turns grey on exposure. It is very strong, very durable and unlikely to be attacked by white ants. When polished, it has a very pretty grain. On aging, it becomes extremely hard and blunts saws. It is difficult to season - planks and slabs of the wood crack, warp, twist, and shell in the most extraordinary manner, unless the greatest care be exercised both in the time of cutting of the timber and the seasoning. It is used in shipbuilding; for making wharves and bridges; as a general building timber, particularly for floors and weatherboards; mallets, chisel handles, planes etc. It was used extensively as wooden tram rails, becoming polished and very hard with use. Ribs of vessels made from this tree have remained unimpaired for thirty years and more.
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
How it is grown
A plant of the subtropics to the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 0 28°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,100 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 900 - 1,700mm. Succeeds in full sun to partial shade. Requires a well-drained, fertile soil. Succeeds in sandy to clayey soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7. The tree has escaped from cultivation in Hawaii and become invasive. Very tolerant of hard and repeated pruning. Flowering Time: Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White. Spacing: 15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m) 20-30 ft. (6-9 m).
Propagating it: Seed - very small, it is best mixed with fine sand when sowing. It germinates easily.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 9-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Vinegar Tree, Brisbane Box, Brush Box, Queensland Box
Synonyms
Lophostemon arborescens Schott Melaleuca conferta (R.Br.) Steud. Tristania conferta Griff. Tristania