Eucalyptus siderophloia

Eucalyptus siderophloia, commonly known as the northern grey ironbark, is a medium-sized to tall ironbark tree that is endemic to south eastern Australia. It has hard, dark, furrowed bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped or conical fruit.

Description
Eucalyptus siderophloia is a tree that typically grows to a height of  and forms a lignotuber. It has hard, rough, furrowed grey or black bark on the trunk and branches, sometimes smooth on the thinner branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves that are paler on the lower surface,  long and  wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of green on both sides, lance-shaped to curved,  long and  wide, tapering to a petiole  long. The flowers are mostly arranged on the ends of branchlets in groups of seven on a branched peduncle  long, the individual buds on pedicels  long. Mature buds are diamond-shaped or spindle-shaped,  long and  wide with a conical operculum. Flowering mainly occurs from September to January and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped or conical capsule  long and  wide with the valves near rim level.

Taxonomy and naming
Eucalyptus siderophloia was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis. The specific epithet (siderophloia) is derived from Greek words meaning "iron" and "wood". Terri-barri is an Aboriginal word from the Sydney region.

Distribution and habitat
This ironbark grows in forests on the coast and adjacent foothills in soils of reasonable fertility, from about Maryborough and Springsure in Queensland to near Sydney in New South Wales.

Uses
The sapwood is usually resistant to the lyctus borer. Not an easy timber to work, however it has a beautiful appearance similar to some rainforest species. Uses include flooring and decking, shipbuilding, poles, construction, railway sleepers and heavy engineering.

References

siderophloia
Category:Myrtales of Australia
Category:Flora of New South Wales
Category:Flora of Queensland
Category:Trees of Australia
Category:Plants described in 1867