Very glad to have inherited this tree, which has attained its maximum height of around 10 metres and forms part of mature plantings in front of verandah (formerly LW territory). Have chosen to feature this species as, apart from being visually splendid, it has some interesting adaptations that enable it to grow in very poor soil, survive long periods without water and live happily along the coast. The drooping sheoak has separate male and female trees. This one's a male and in full bloom. While there's no nectar in the flowers they are loaded with large quantities of pollen - which is windblown to fertilise female (she has small red flowers to collect it and then goes on to make brown oval seed cones - if you have to mow grass around a female sheoak you'll know what effective missiles these make!) When the male is in flower the entire tree is buzzing with very enthusiastic bees. While bees get their carbohydrates and over-winter food from nectar, pollen is very high in protein and forms the bulk of their diet. They simply crawl over the flower then, when covered in pollen, transfer it to the pollen baskets on their back legs. Dead branchlets form a dense mulch underneath the tree, which does not poison the soil around it as was once thought. The branchlets, which resemble pine needles, appear to have no leaves, but they are present as tiny pointed scales arranged around them in rings. This design minimises water loss. In addition, the tree's root system has a symbiotic relationship with the mycorrhizal fungi, which enable the sheoak to fix nitrogen and absorb nutrients provided by the fungi. Thus low rainfall and poor soil are no obstacle to the growth of this attractive small tree.
1 Comment
Geraldine Anders
19/5/2018 01:30:10 am
How very splendid! I haven't seen this species of drooping she-oak flowering in coastal Victoria where I live. I wonder if it would also thrive here. Thank you again for the superbly textural photos and the fascinating info.
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Archives
February 2019
January - Grass Tree
February - Kangaroo Apple - Large-leaf Grevillea March - Silver Banksia April - Drooping Sheoak May - Correa June - Grevillea July - Buddleja August - Sundews September - Native Hibiscus October - Running Postman November - Hakea December - Sticky Hop Bush |