Common Name: Long-fruited Bloodwood

General Information

Corymbia polycarpa is an evergreen tree with an open crown of large branches; it can grow up to 25 metres tall. The bole can be straight and varies in length from short to more than half the total height of the tree, and up to 70cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a medicine and for local use of its wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Australia - northern Western Australia, northern Northern Territory, northern Queensland

Habitat

Found mainly on undulating country and plains and the associated small ridges and hills. It also occurs on river flats, beach-dune woodlands and the margins of swamps; at elevations up to 400 metres, occasionally to 800 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Corymbia polycarpa is native to the semi-arid and seasonal tropical climate of Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 29°c, but can tolerate 10 - 44°c[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 250 - 1,750mm[].
Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a wide range of soils of moderate fertility[]. Found in the wild mainly on sandy or silty alluvium, sometimes on cracking clays and sometimes on sandstone[]. Whilst it prefers a well-drained soil, it can also grow in areas subject to seasonal inundation of the soil[]. Plants can withstand a dry season of 5 - 6 months[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[].
The plant develops a lignotuber - this is a woody tuber that starts to develop near the base of seedlings and can become massive in the mature plants of some species. It possesses embedded vegetative buds, allowing the plant to regenerate following crown destruction, for example by fire[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Kino resin, obtained from the trunk, is very astringent. Diluted, it can be taken internally as an effective treatment for dysentery, working because it is not absorbed at all from the stomach and only very slowly from the intestine, and is thus able to directly treat the lower part of the intestine. It can be used as a gargle and mouthwash to treat relaxed throat, loose teeth[, ].
Applied externally as a wash, it is an effective styptic and can used to treat cuts and skin problems[].

Other Uses

A kino resin is obtained from the trunk. Kino resins are rich in tannins and are very astringent. They can be used medicinally, in tanning, as well as for preserving and dyeing natural fibres. The resin oozes naturally from wounds in the trunk and can be tapped by making incisions in the bark. At first it is a thick liquid, but soon hardens upon exposure to the air and sun, typically drying to an amber-like material that consists of dark red angular fragments, rarely larger than a pea.

The reddish heartwood is heavy, hard and strong, durable in the ground, but affected by wavy grain. The wood is used in the round or split for posts, strainers and other farm timber and occasionally sawn for use in general construction[, ].
A good fuel wood[, ]

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a seedtray in a sunny position and do not allow the compost to dry out[, , ]. Species that come from high altitudes appreciate 6 - 8 weeks cold stratification at 2°c[]. Pot up the seedlings into individual pots as soon as the second set of seed leaves has developed, if left longer than this they might not move well. Seedlings are planted out in the field when they reach a height of about 25 cm. This should coincide with the onset of the rainy season in tropical countries[].
The seed has a long viability[].

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