Brittle gum

Angophora costata, the Sydney red gum or smooth-barked apple, is a large evergreen tree of the family Myrtaceae endemic to eastern Australia, reaching up to 25-30 m in height with a stout, often crooked or twisted trunk and a broad, spreading crown. Its most striking feature is the smooth, dimpled bark, which is shed annually in patches to reveal fresh surfaces in shades of pink, orange-brown, and salmon that weather to pale grey. Mature leaves are opposite, lance-shaped, glossy green with a paler underside and prominent venation, while new growth flushes coppery-red. Large terminal clusters of cream to white flowers with conspicuous tufts of stamens are produced in summer, followed by distinctly ribbed, urn-shaped woody fruits. It grows on sandy soils derived from sandstone in coastal and tableland forests from Queensland through New South Wales.