At a glance:

• Ginkgo biloba

• Brachychiton spp .

• Agathis robusta/Corymbia maculata/ Podocarpus elatus

• Araucaria bidwillii

• Jubaea chilensis

Significant trees are the outstanding feature of the Geelong Botanic Gardens with 30 such trees registered on the National Trust significant tree register.

Ginkgo biloba

The specimen at the Geelong Botanic Gardens was planted in 1859 and is arguably the finest in cultivation in Australia . This fascinating species is the only living remnant of the ancient plant family Gingkoacaea , its fossils are today found worldwide, even on the Australian continent, evidence of a widespread distribution some 200 million years ago.

The Geelong tree shows evidence of the characteristic adventitious aerial roots, which are only formed on mature plants. The maturity of this specimen does however need to be considered against some of the specimens in Japan and China that are reputed to be approaching 3000 years old!

Brachychiton spp .

There are several outstanding specimens of Brachychiton in the gardens including B.discolor with its charachteristic stout upright branching and several naturally occuring hybrid Brachychiton x roseum.

Agathis robusta/Corymbia maculata/ Podocarpus elatus

These trees mark the original entrance of the gardens and vary in age from 125 to 140 years planted. It's interesting to note that all these species are Australian native plants and are amongst the few Australian species that proved to be popular in Horticulture in SE Australia. Along with Moreton Bay Figs and Bunyas both of which there are excellent examples of in the gardens

Araucaria bidwillii

Indeed the Bunyas along the southern boundary of the gardens form the largest concentration of Bunyas in a confined area in Victoria. There are some outstanding specimens associated with the gardens and the surrounding Eastern Park.

Jubaea chilensis

The Chilean Wine Palm has been the icon of the friends of the Geelong Botanic Gardens since shortly after the group's formation in 1985.

This plant is amongst the original plantings of the gardens planted in 1869. It was planted prior to the construction of the Raddenberry fernery in 1885 and was "built in" to the structure growing there for some 50 years. When the fernery was demolished, the palm was retained. This species naturally occurs in Chile where this species is considered to be vulnerable in the wild due to over harvesting of the palms sap.

A great many more significant historic trees are associated with the Geelong Botanic gardens including an outstanding Cork Oak, Quercus suber, The Plum Fir, Prumnopitys andina , Copper Beech, Fagus sylvatica, the Soapbark , Quillaja saponaria and the Sierra Redwood, Sequoiadendron giganteum . All these trees are detailed in the excellent "Tree Discovery Walk" produced by the Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens.

Just as RBG Melbourne has facilitated a program to deal with an aging canopy and associated tree replacement so to does the gardens need to implement such a program.