NEWS POLL: What's your favourite tree?

Above: Ghost gum, Northern Territory. Photo: Eugene Dimitriadis

‘Every year Australians vote on their favourite bird – but what about trees?’ Well finally, here’s one for tree lovers – ABC Radio National’s latest poll seeks to determine Australia's favourite tree. However, with over 4,500 wood trees and shrubs, Australia has a lot to choose from, so the ABC had a plan. Professor Tim Entwisle, Director and Chief Excutive of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens was approached to create the list below:

Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
Boab (Adansonia gregorii)
Bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii)
Coastal tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum)
Coolabah (Eucalyptus coolabah)
Cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla)
Darwin woollybutt (Eucalyptus miniata)
Deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii)
Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius)
Ghost gum (Corymbia aparrerinja)
Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
Grey mangrove (Avicennia marina)
Gungurru (Eucalyptus caesia)
Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii)
Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor)
Macadamia tree (Macadamia integrifolia)
Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla)
Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans)
Mulga wattle (Acacia aneura)
Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)
Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia)
Quandong (Santalum acuminatum)
Queensland bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris)
Queensland kauri (Agathis robusta)
Red cabbage palm (Livistona mariae)
Red cedar (Toona ciliata)
Red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia)
River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
River sheoak (Casuarina cunninghamiana)
Snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora)
Sydney red gum (Angophora costata)
Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis)
Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)

The first round of voting ends August 11, with the winning tree announced on Friday, August 26.

For your chance to have a say, head to www.abc.net.au/trees to vote for your favourites!

Editor's note: Wood Review readers may remember that in 2020, members of the International Wood Collectors undertook to establish a tree emblem for Australia. You can read about their project here.