Ghost Gum, White Gum, Desert Gum, Cabbage Gum
Corymbia papuana

Family: Myrtaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows to 15-18 m high and spreads to 5-15 m across. The stem is erect and smooth. It arises from a lignotuber. It has powdery white bark. The crown is open and spreading. The leaves are light green and sword shaped and hang down. They are smooth and often with a wavy edge. They taper to a tip and are 8-20 cm long by 0.9-5.5 cm across. The leaf stalk is 0.5-2 cm long. The young leaves are produced opposite each other and are bluish grey with short stalks. Trees in some areas can lose most of their leaves during the dry season. The flower buds are oval and in groups of 3-6. The flowers are small and white. They are produced in the axils of upper leaves or at the ends of branches. The fruit are small, dark brown, rough capsules. They are thin walled and papery. The capsules are 0.8-1.2 cm long by 0.7-0.9 cm wide.

Parts of the plant have various medicinal uses. There are a 110 Corymbia species mostly originally in Australia. This one is found only in Papua New Guinea and has wrongly been applied to Australia.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It prefers light sandy soils. It needs an open sunny position. It can grow in arid or semiarid locations. It is resistant to drought and frost but heavy frosts can kill the plant. It often grows on flats which are occasionally flooded. It will grow on a wide range of soils. It does best with ample moisture. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 120-1,520 mm. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Australia, East Africa, Pacific, Papua New Guinea (country/location of origin), Tanzania

How it is used for food

The sap or honey is collected from under the peeling bark and eaten. It also has edible grubs in Central Australia.

Edible parts

Sap or honey, manna

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. It is best to collect seed from the local area as these are better adapted to the conditions there.

Trees are fast growing. Flowering is September to December and fruiting from October to December.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Eucalyptus papuana F. Muell; And in part Corumbia dallachiana or Corymbia aparrerinja;