Manna Gum
Encyclopedia
Eucalyptus viminalis, Manna Gum, also known as White Gum, Ribbon Gum or Viminalis is an Australia
n eucalypt.
It is a straight erect tree, often around 40 metres tall, with rough bark on the trunk and base of larger branches, its upper bark peels away in long "ribbons" which can collect on the branches and surrounding ground . Occasionally it can attain very large sizes. The tree with the largest recorded diameter (324.7cm) is located at Woodbourne in Marlborough, New Zealand.
E. viminalis is widely distributed in the cooler areas of Australia
where the leaves are the favoured food of Koala
s . Sap has a 5–15% sugar content which makes it an essential part of the energy budget for arboreal or tree
dwelling marsupial
mammals like Yellow-bellied, Sugar and other gliders. Koalas
reintroduced to Kangaroo Island
impact on native E. viminalis and is part of a A$4,000,000 management project from 2005-9.
There are three subspecies
:
Timber is generally pale pink to pinkish brown in colour, often with distinctive light grey streaks. The attractive light pink tones of this species and its easy workability make it desirable in furniture applications. Structurally, uses are limited due to its low strength and durability, however some is used in seasoned and unseasoned house framing. Sapwood is distinct.
From its geographical distribution, it is not surprising that it is hardy down to −15 degrees Celsius (+5 °F) or more making it suitable for planting in Europe.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n eucalypt.
It is a straight erect tree, often around 40 metres tall, with rough bark on the trunk and base of larger branches, its upper bark peels away in long "ribbons" which can collect on the branches and surrounding ground . Occasionally it can attain very large sizes. The tree with the largest recorded diameter (324.7cm) is located at Woodbourne in Marlborough, New Zealand.
E. viminalis is widely distributed in the cooler areas of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where the leaves are the favoured food of Koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s . Sap has a 5–15% sugar content which makes it an essential part of the energy budget for arboreal or tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
dwelling marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
mammals like Yellow-bellied, Sugar and other gliders. Koalas
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
reintroduced to Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
impact on native E. viminalis and is part of a A$4,000,000 management project from 2005-9.
There are three subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
:
- E. viminalis subsp. viminalis - NSW, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Mount Lofty Range of South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... - E. viminalis subsp. cygnetensis - western Victoria, southeastern South Australia
- E. viminalis subsp. pryoriana - southern Victoria
Timber is generally pale pink to pinkish brown in colour, often with distinctive light grey streaks. The attractive light pink tones of this species and its easy workability make it desirable in furniture applications. Structurally, uses are limited due to its low strength and durability, however some is used in seasoned and unseasoned house framing. Sapwood is distinct.
From its geographical distribution, it is not surprising that it is hardy down to −15 degrees Celsius (+5 °F) or more making it suitable for planting in Europe.