River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis). Credit: Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Australians have chosen the river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) as their favourite native tree in ABC’s national poll.With a widespread distribution across Australia, river red gums provide shade along inland waterways. Forests of these trees also contain significant Aboriginal sites. “The river red gum is the perfect Australian tree. No two trees are the same, and each has its own personality. I love the way the twisted limbs, the gnarly hollows and dead wood, and all the scars and broken branches reflect a tough life but one well lived,” Professor Tim Entwisle, botanist and Director and Chief Executive of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria commented..
“These trees are used by First Nations People to make canoes, shields, coolamons and other tools. First Nations People burn the leaves, and the smoke is inhaled to help relieve coughs and colds,” says Renee Cawthorne, Project Manager of the Aboriginal Strategy and First Nations Engagement, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.

Gum trees rated highly in the poll with second and third place going to the much-loved:

• Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora), found in eastern Australia. Their twisty limbs are often a result of harsh alpine conditions they call home.
• Ghost Gum (Corymbia aparrerinja), with their smooth, white bark and cream flowers, these majestic giants stand solitary in open woodland of Central Australia.

Over 265,000 votes were cast during August to select the most loved native trees from a diverse list of 33 from across the country. “My campaign #gobunya was spectacularly unsuccessful, but bunya pine will always remain a personal favourite, alongside mountain ash, Moreton Bay fig, Wollemi pine and pretty much every one of Australia’s 3,200 tree species!” Professor Entwisle commented “I’m secretly delighted that the river red gum topped the popular poll. It was one of the two finalists we chose for the ABC Catalyst special, and sits comfortably alongside that show’s winner, the mighty mountain ash.”
“I am so heartened that Australia took the tree poll so deeply into their hearts, I think the big winner was TREES! The river red gum was always going to be a front runner, such a widespread species yet so uniquely adapted to each place. I think that every landscape within which they occur, is somewhat defined by them. They are such cornerstone species for the ecosystem, as well as the communities around them. To see the snow and ghost gums also score so highly is also a vote for the incredible places that they represent. There is no doubting that Australia is home to plants unique in the world. What a treat it has been to consider, debate and celebrate them!” Millie Ross, presenter, ABC’s Gardening Australia commented.
“In an urban context, trees reduce noise pollution; reduce summer heat; reduce air pollution; and soften the visuals of a hard urban landscape. A direct correlation between trees and an improved level of general and mental health has also been found. Personally, as an arborist and botanical gardens horticulturist I am privileged to have a very close relationship with trees; propagating, growing, planting and even climbing, which I probably love the most.” Peter Feilen, Horticulturist, Australian National Botanic Gardens commented “Trees will continue to play an important role mitigating climate change, by absorbing carbon to make wood. However, trees are also victims of climate change and other human activity, such as development and introduction of invasive species and diseases. They need our help. In the 2015 Global Tree Assessment it was found that 30 percent of tree species are threatened with extinction, and at least 142 tree species are recorded as extinct. Essentially, the message is that we need trees and trees need us.”

Australia’s Favourite Trees: ranked in order:

1. River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
2. Snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora)
3. Ghost gum (Corymbia aparrerinja)
4. Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla)
5. Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans)
6. Boab (Adansonia gregorii)
7. Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor)
8. Red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia)
9. Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius)
10. Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
11. Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii)
12. Gungurru (Eucalyptus caesia)
13. Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)
14. Sydney red gum (Angophora costata)
15. Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia)
16. Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)
17. Bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii)
18. Deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii)
19. Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis)
20. Macadamia tree (Macadamia integrifolia)
21. Queensland bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris)
22. Red cedar (Toona ciliata)
23. Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
24. River sheoak (Casuarina cunninghamiana)
25. Coastal tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum)
26. Quandong (Santalum acuminatum)
27. Grey mangrove (Avicennia marina)
28. Cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla)
29. Coolabah (Eucalyptus coolabah)
30. Queensland kauri (Agathis robusta)
31. Mulga wattle (Acacia aneura)
32. Darwin woollybutt (Eucalyptus miniata)
33. Red cabbage palm (Livistona mariae)