# Fiddlewood(citharexilum spinosum)



## THETA (Jul 3, 2004)

G'day tis THETA here and im posting from sunny Q.L.D Australia.
I have just completed my cert 3 arboriculture/Horticulture and now commencing cert 4.Bit of a win for me.  This would appear to be my first post and to be honest im not sure if im in the right forum but surely thers some tree hugging gum nut out there who may be able to help.... Seems i recently removed a fiddlewood tree about 12mtrs tall and round about 20 year old.Now the thing is that only a small section of timber was in fact a VIBRANT red now the grain and cambium of this timber is like a pine yet there is this bright red area. my first thought was it may be some type of pathogen/fungi but never this full on in colour. then perhaps mabe it was a result in an attack by ACONOPHORA.(mexican sucking bug)it was introduced to try and wipe out lantana yet the bugs did not do that in fact they found our native trees tastier. well im kinda stumped now.HA ( a tree joke. lol how sad.) 
if anyone could relay some data back i would be delighted.
oh ill try and scan in a piccy of it if i can.
cheers THETA.


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## Stumper (Jul 3, 2004)

I have no personal experience with Fiddle wood but the literature indicates that bright red heartwood is normal for the tree.


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## THETA (Jul 4, 2004)

*fiddlewood*

hey stumper thanx for your reply however it is not the heartwood that is affected but just a portion of the outer layer almost but not quite at the cambium...and is also of no red i have ever seen , its as though someone has coloured it in with red fluro marker.
(it is obviously not the case )i did consider that .mmmmm?


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## rumination (Jul 5, 2004)

THETA,

Here in Hawaii, Citharexilum spinosum is planted as a street tree, and a rather ugly one in my opinion, but the mayor likes them so what can you do. I have never trimmed/removed one but there is a very similar relative that is an extremely invasive species here, Citharexilum caudatum. I have cut down more of those guys than I could ever count, and I occasionally find both a reddish heartwood and the red highlighter effect that you are talking about. Unfortunately, I'm as clueless as to what it is as you are. If you find out let us know. I'm interested.


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## THETA (Jul 7, 2004)

rumination,
G'day m8.
seems to be harder to find data, but im still hunting ... i have questions that need to be answered... now becoming one of those i need to know things so it will stop annoying me...


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