Eucalyptus macrorhyncha

A tree reaching 35 metres tall with a canopy spread to 10 or 15 metres – often found smaller in many habitats.

It is one of the “stringybark” eucalypts – and unlike many of its close relatives, it is one of the few stringybarks to be found well inland in NSW.

It is a very common tree in inland NSW, especially on the tablelands and western slopes and it would be another contender for one of the most common eucalypts in these parts (even though many have been cleared on farmland). The northern range in NSW is around Warialda and Ashford (south-west of Tenterfield). It then extends south through the tablelands and western slopes – as far west as Dubbo and Griffith (where populations are somewhat disjunct) – down through around Albury into Victoria. In Victoria, it extends across much of the State, including the far east and west to around Stawell and possibly extending to Coleraine

It grows in a range of habitats including the listed threatened White Box – Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Box Woodlands, but may also be found on rocky-shallow soils where trees are usually shorter. In tablelands woodlands, it can grow from the top of the rocky hill, down to the valley creeklines. They are common on road verges in many inland areas – often on rocky to loamy soils.

Eucalyptus spp. have simple and usually alternate adult leaves with juvenile leaves starting off opposite to alternate (disjunct). In this species, the juvenile foliage / coppicing growth is alternate, more or less green but with a hint of blue-green, to 5 cm wide and 10 cm long, usually with the typical asymmetric base.

The adult leaves are disjunct, lanceolate to falcate, to 14 cm long and to about 4 cm wide, green to blue-green and concolorous; with the oblique leaf base typical of stringybarks.

The primary inflorescence of “eucalypts” (Angophora / Corymbia / Eucalyptus) is an umbellaster (an umbel-like cluster of flowers). In the flowers of Corymbia and Eucalyptus, the petals and sepals are fused into the distinctive calyptra / operculum (bud cap) which is shed when the flower opens (in some species, 2 bud caps (opercula) are shed). The flowers are conspicuously staminate – where many stamens are basically taking over the role of the petals, all surrounding one central carpel. In this species, the flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups (umbellasters) of 7 to 11. Mature buds are diamond-shaped to 9 mm long and 5 mm wide with a very distinctive beaked operculum / calyptra (a very useful identification feature). Flowering are white, occurring mainly in spring to summer.

Eucalyptus produce a capsule (gum-nut) which house valves which open to release the seed. The fruits (capsules) of some boxes have a cylindrical to urceolate shape. In this species, the capsules are strongly pedicillate (compare to many other stringybarks) and rounded / hemispherical to globose, with a broad-round raised disc and valves exserted, to about 12 mm wide and 7 mm long.