Gymnostoma australianum

[MattA]

Cut from another thread for completeness of information provided.

Gymnostoma is a beaut plant to work with. Foliage is graceful, bright green. If you get female flowers, their development is fascinating as the long horn-like ornamentation progressively grows out, even when not fertilised. new growth adds a soft coppery-red.

I've found the branchlets amazingly brittle. After working over the tree, lightly tip pruning and the like, a few days later I'll find dead, broken branchlets that I didn't work on lying amongst the foliage. So working with them benefits from careful, and light touching.

They are of course one of the 'casuarinas'. Australia has only one that we know of, but there are a few other species out amongst the islands to the N and NE.

In general, treat it like other casuarinas, as far as I know.

I'll try to get a pic of mine, but I'm not too good at taking pics and getting them ready for downloading, alas. You never know your luck.

Would be great to hear from anyone else who has experience with them. Finding a cheap one is good news. They have been very pricey for years. Opening a new forum would be good, but I have to learn how to do that. Shouldn't confuse people by mixing up with that spikey friend of yours.

Roger

Thank you so much for the information... it will be invaluable...

I am sure i will have a myriad of questions for you soon enough, just need to spend some time getting to know her first. I have taken photos will resize & post later, lets just say she (yes female & carrying loads of cones) is big (over2m tall) well aclimated to newcastle, been in the nursery for more than a few years. As for cheap lets just say steal home run score galore....they are glad to be rid of it. Once they realised how mad I am about 'Interesting' stock I was sent off to the ends of it & WOW come back with an open cheque book & there are loads of superb 12" Syzigium/Acmena just crying out to be butchered & at stupid prices!

Matt

[Ash]

Matt I have fallen in love with Gymnostoma in the wild. It is quite a spectacular tree with a very pine like architecture. It occurs from near sea level in the Daintree up to the top of Thornton's Peak. As bonsai I have had some difficulties, I have lost several due to drying out and have cracked branches more than once using wire. But I think they are worth the effort. At low altitude they live close to or in the creek, plenty are right in the water. There are natural rafts! At high altitude they are subjected to mist and frequent rain.
Ash

[Roger]

Ash, any chance of getting pictures of what they look like in the wild? From as many different places as your walks take you - Not asking much am I .
But seriously, I have not seen any that I can recall and they would be greatly appreciated. I've read that they can form flanges low on the stem leading into major roots - rather like many rainforest trees. Have you ever seen this?

[MattA]

I was not far off, she stands 210cm from pot rim. 12" pot trunk approx 2"

R0014610rs.jpg

Ash,

Thanks for the extra information, every little bit helps, especially the bit about it liking wetter areas. I would love to see some photos of your own trees.

This is actually looking on the dry side, more than a bit pot bound. I dont want to shock it as its very healthy but maybe a slip pot might be in order. Given its been kept dryer should I continue with that line or start to increase moisture levels?

Some photos of wild trees would be awesome, maybe kick start an idea for it. It was not what I was originally told 12mths ago so the ideas for it are out the window, Natural Callitris upsidedown style

Matt

[Ash]

The base is hard to describe. It is not a plank buttress in the sense of some other rainforest trees but could be described as very flanged compared to other Casuarinaceae. The flanges are on very old trees and the trunk looks a bit like multiple domed ribs running down the trunk with a groove in between. The base can spread out into a buttress but I don't remember any long running surface roots like you would get in say a Caldacluvia or Ficus buttress. The only photo I have at hand is the raft below, I will have to dig deeper to find some others and there was a good one posted to the web by one of our group but not taken by me but I cant find it. I'll endeavour to get more pics because although Gymnostoma look like a pine they also don't look like a pine if you get my drift. They look more like a great conical candelabra with densely tufted foliage pads. They have a central trunk and the side branches at the top curve steeply upwards and some lower ones can be hanging under the weight of the dense foliage. If I could emulate one in bonsai I would be happy indeed.

Gymnostoma raft.jpg

This is just a young plant- photographed because it was a raft.

Ash

[Ash]

Hey that is a big Gymnostoma for a nursery plant! Good score Matt.

[MattA]

Hey Ash,

Awesome photo & info on there natural growth habits. I found a pic online of one at RBG Sydney, planted sometime around 75-80, there is some info on the trees history as well as the pic, it shows just what you are trying to describe re natural shape.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_rodd/3719761173/

I am really getting keen on this tree the more I find out about it.. now to see if I can a) keep it alive & b) turn it into a half reasonable bonsai.... more chance of a than b.

Do they backbud if cut into barewood? Otherwise some experimental grafting might be in order.

The trunk splits in 2 part way up so it gives me a chance to try some layering, no point wasting one half when I could get several. I have never seen one before and what few bits I can find say it is rare, tho most also say it is fairly hardy.

Matt

[Roger]

Indeed a large one!
I've had budding back at the base of branches, where they come off the trunk. Can't immediately remember if or to what extent there was budding back along the branches and below the last green branchlets. Anyone have some experience here?

Here are a couple pics of Casuarina cunninghamiana (river she oak) showing fluted trunks and mild buttressing near the base. The big tree looks pretty old.

[dennismc]

Mat

Hi again.

Boy you are lucky to get this advanced specimen (or of any size). They are very rare here in Sydney.

The only one I have tried needed plenty of watering. In fact it eventually died when I had a minor problem with my watering system. Nothing else suffered at all!

regards
Dennis Mc

[MattA]

Mat

Hi again.

Boy you are lucky to get this advanced specimen (or of any size). They are very rare here in Sydney.

The only one I have tried needed plenty of watering. In fact it eventually died when I had a minor problem with my watering system. Nothing else suffered at all!

regards
Dennis Mc

Hey Dennis,

Wow, all coming out of the woodwork now... why is it bonsai addicts seem to be the best source of information on almost any plant. I knew this was something special when i first saw it last year, it has waited patiently for me, now for me to be patient with it

Another vote for more water, I think i will slip it from the pot today & see whats really going on. The surface looks fairly dry & the mosses are one that prefers a dryer life so it seems to be how its been living for a fair while. The tree is very healthy with loads of new growth & lots of cones so i am wary of making any major changes to its current conditions.


I really want to thank you , Ash and Roger for the input, when they finally worked out what it was I had never heard of it let alone seen it but I wasnt going to leave it just because of that. You have all helped more than all I could find via the net as far as practical hands on growing and natural observation (awesome Ash, look forward to hearing more as & when).

This has reminded me yet again why i joined Ausbonsai in the first place, to grow more learn more share more about my love of australian native plants and the possibilities of using them as bonsai.

Thanks again

Matt

PS Huge thankyou to Steven for getting this great place started

[EdwardH]

Hi all,

I saw a number of 'Daintree Pine Trees' for sale at Flower Power a few months back. They were about 50cm high, very bushy growth and cost around $40. I didn't buy one at the time because I have more trees than time allows to properly care for.

[Ash]

Roger that second photo looks just like what I meant in my buttress description- only without the burls. Ash

[MattA]

Hi all,

I saw a number of 'Daintree Pine Trees' for sale at Flower Power a few months back. They were about 50cm high, very bushy growth and cost around $40. I didn't buy one at the time because I have more trees than time allows to properly care for.

I can hear the phones ringing at all the Flower Power stores with the same request... Do you have any Daintree pines

I didnt pay anywhere near that so i am even happier with my little find and extra

Matt

[MattA]

Roger that second photo looks just like what I meant in my buttress description- only without the burls. Ash

HHmmm GIANT grow pot for a century to get something like that

Ah hell why not

Matt

[Ron]

Hi all,

I saw a number of 'Daintree Pine Trees' for sale at Flower Power a few months back. They were about 50cm high, very bushy growth and cost around $40. I didn't buy one at the time because I have more trees than time allows to properly care for.

Or your partner will allow you to have!!