Green Thumb Sunday - Red Flowering Gum (Bloodwood) Tree

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In late summer, the Red Flowering Gum Trees (Corymbia ficifolia f.k.a. Eucalyptus ficifolia) begin blooming all over San Francisco. The flowers can be white, pink, red or orange but my favorites are the trees with the striking orange flowers. Native to an area of Western Australia that is south east of Perth, these trees prefer infertile, sandy soils. They are a very popular street tree in San Francisco (as are many other Australian native trees). Although called "gums," these trees are "bloodwoods" so named because of the dark red liquid that flows when wounds are inflicted on their trunks. One negative attribute of these trees is the stringy detritus from the flowers that collects on cars and in the streets (visible in the photo below).

Red Flowering Gum Tree (Corymbia ficifolia) in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California

Flowers of the Red Flowering Gum Tree (Corymbia ficifolia)



Macro shot of flower from Red Flowering Gum Tree (Corymbia ficifolia)

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