Common Name:

General Information

Angophora costata is an evergreen tree with an open, irregularly branched crown; it can grow 15 - 27 metres tall. The bole varies from short and crooked to long and straight, it can be 50 - 120cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for its wood, which is used locally. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland

Habitat

Found on a wide range of topographical sites, from small flats on the sea coast to the ridges of mountains and on inland plains[]. Deep sandy soils, or sandy soils on sandstone[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

A plant of mainly subtropical areas, just moving into the tropics in eastern Australia, where it is found at latitudes from 37 - 21°S[]. It can only be grown in warm temperate areas where winter temperatures rarely fall below -5°c. It grows at elevations from sea level up to 300 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 28°c, but can tolerate 10 - 38°c[]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -5°c or lower, but new growth is badly damaged at 0°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 600 - 1,200mm[].
Prefers a sunny position in a light to medium, well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
The branches are brittle and limbs tend to fall readily. In nature the butts of such limbs form callused bumps on the trunk and add to the gnarled appearance of the tree[].
Vigorous flowering only occurs once in every few years[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The resin from the trunk is astringent[]. It is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree only flowers vigorously once every few years, but when it does it is an important source of pollen and yields a fairly pale honey of minor importance[].

Other Uses

An astringent resin, known as kino, is obtained from the trunk[].

The heartwood is a light pinkish-brown; the sapwood pale and up to 5 cm wide. The wood is moderately close-textured, with a rather interlocked grain, it is of moderate strength, very hard but not durable[]. It is used for rough flooring, slabs, fence rails, palings and hardboard[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, though it can be stored. Sow in a fairly sunny position in a nursery seedbed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a sunny position until large enough to plant out.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth in sandy soil.