Northern Grey Ironbark
Eucalyptus siderophloia
-27.4764, 152.979
Field Notes
Description:
Eucalyptus siderophloia, the Northern Grey Ironbark, is a eucalyptus of south-eastern Australia. It's a member of the Myrtaceae family. Instead of being shed annually as in many of the other species of Eucalyptus, the dead bark of the Ironbark accumulates on the trees, forming fissures. It becomes rough after drying out and becomes impregnated with 'kino', a dark red tree sap exuded by the tree (see 2nd photo). The bark is resistant to fire and heat and protects the living tissue within the trunk and branches from fire. In cases of extreme fire, where leaves and shoots are removed, the protective bark aids in protecting epicormic buds which allows the tree to reshoot. The tree can grow to a height of 45 mtrs.
Habitat:
This species of Ironbark occurs in NSW and QLD, north of Sydney in wet forest soils of reasonable fertility. This particular specimen was spotted at the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt. Coot-Tha.
Notes:
As far as the timber goes, 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. NB: This spotting is a very large tree. Eucalyptus siderophloia is a slow-growing species and long-living. As this tree is fully matured, I suspect it was growing in this location long before the Botanical Gardens were established in 1976, and is therefore an original inhabitant of the forests that once covered this area.
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