Python Tree

Gossia bidwillii. 

 
Australia specialises in trees with beautiful trunks. This is one of our loveliest.

 

It is a small tree. For the most part it is found in vine scrubs and dry rainforests along the range, but also occurs in the remnants of the Gowrie Scrub, a once-large scrub which stretched from Highfields and North Toowoomba through Gowrie Junction to Kingsthorpe and beyond. It is very suitable for suburban gardens.

Its name comes from the smooth mottled python-like trunk, which is cool to the touch even on a hot day. (Some people call it “refrigerator tree”. ) Its shape often suggests muscles under the skin. The specimen below, which has obviously had a hard early life, shows these “muscles” to an exaggerated extent.

 

The distinctive upper roots at the base of the trunk are often exposed, and are a feature which helps you identify the tree in the wild.

 

The shiny green leaves resemble lillypilly leaves, except that they have red-brown twigs, which help you to to distinguish them.

 

They are a brilliant, translucent red when new, and make a great show in the garden.

 
Python trees have juicy, edible fruits. 

 

If you pick one in the wild to try, don’t forget to plant the seed in a suitable spot after you have sucked it clean. This species is in decline, and would appreciate the little bit of help to produce the next generation.