Eucalyptus cypellocarpa is the scientific name for the Mountain
Grey Gum. The Mountain Grey Gum is the dominant indigenous remnant tree giant
found in the streets and parks of Drouin and in other towns and localities of
Baw Baw Shire. An early colloquial name was
the Monkey Gum, so called for the ‘monkey bears’ or Koalas that often like to
inhabit the species.
‘Cypellocarpa’ is derived from the Greek for
‘cup shaped fruit’. A lot about a tree can sometimes be learned just from its
name.
It is ironic that early settlement of the
district was impeded by the dense forests and giant trees that had to be
cleared for pastoral runs and urban development. We now treat these huge
specimens as valuable assets.
The Mountain Grey Gum is a tall, usually
straight, single trunked tree that prefers to grow on the wetter slopes of the
ranges. The trunk is mostly smooth throughout with some fibrous rough bark at
the bottom and sometimes with shredded strips from the upper regions. Usually
the trunk is pale grey with whitish/yellowish/creamy streaks. The curved
lance-shaped leaves can be very large, up to 20 or 30 cm long.
Widespread throughout eastern Victoria on the
well drained coastal slopes of the Divide; the Mountain Grey Gum is sometimes
cultivated as a shade tree and for farm forestry and is considered a fast
growing species.
The flowers, fruit, leaves and bark of the
Mountain Grey Gum provide ideal food and habitat for a large range of birds,
invertebrates and mammals. Many of Drouin’s street trees contain hollows that
are regularly occupied by a range of species.
The Significant Trees of Drouin group cited almost one hundred E. cypellocarpa with a trunk girth
greater than 4 metres, many of them taller than 30 metres – giants in any terms.
This article was contributed by The Significant
Trees of Drouin project team.
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