Conifers and eucalypts both tend to be domineering – they are particularly adept at excluding other kinds of trees.
In the Flinders Ranges, however, one sometimes sees “pines” and “gum trees” thriving, surprisingly near to each other.
i would imagine that this is in part because their “contest” is a battle between “fellow, long-resident locals”, rather than “feral” versus “native”.
The conifer and eucalypt species relevant to this post’s photo have both called Australia home since long before humans existed, let alone coined the word “Australia”.
If the pictured pine was Pinus radiata – or some other “introduced” pine tree – it is very unlikely that the ground beneath it would sport such an abundance of gum tree bark and leaves.
(photo is ©️ Doug Spencer, taken near Wilpena Creek at 8.52 am on of June 2023)
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