Winter lemon-tipped starry blossoms – Swamp Bloodwood

 

Winter days this year on Northern NSW, have been oscillating between rain, and lots of it, and the most brilliant warm sunshine days. Temperature ranges in Winter for the locals mean that below 18c is a COLD day and 14c is FREEZING!!

Out and about today (‘Son3’s Taxi Service’) came across some Corymbia ptychocarpa – it was formally known as Eucalyptus ptychocarpa or commonly know as Swamp Bloodwood. It comes form the Kimberley region/Northern Territory but a few locals manage to grow some of this species here, with a few long standing trees on the roadside of the back roads.

It is a ‘straggly tree’ with beautiful deep green drooping leaves and pink blossoms.

The new growth leaves start a yellow orangey/pink shade and gradually as they get older turn into a large sweep of deep green leaves.

The leaves alone are quite stunning!

Add in some soft pink ribbed flower buds …

… slowly revealing their treasures …

… of stunning starry lemon tipped pink blossoms …

… bursting out of those soft pink capsules …

… and when they’re spent you’re left with pinky green fruit vessels …

… sometimes they still cling their little ‘hats’ for a while …

… leaving weathered spent seed pods providing some final ‘character’.

Now you know why the Australian children’s author and illustrator May Gibbs created her gorgeous Gum Blossom bush characters.

I have been reading ‘May Gibbs – More Than A Fairytale An Artistic Life’ a stunningly presented book outlining May’s early life and development as an artist.  I would love to see a movie about our ‘Miss Gibbs’ such an amazing artist & woman.