Virginia Tech Dendrology

red ironbark Myrtaceae Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunn. ex Woolls symbol: EUSI2
Leaf: Alternate (juvenile foliage may be opposite), simple, evergreen, leathery, ovate to narrowly lanceolate, 4-8 inches long, often curved and drooping, long pointed, entire margins, aromatic, dull green above, bluish bloom beneath, young foliage more blue.
Flower: Round, 2 inches across, with very long red to pink (sometimes white) stamens, no petals, making it look like a round bottle brush, clustered in leaf axils in winter and early spring.
Fruit: An urn-shaped capsule 3/8 inch long, in clusters.
Twig: Slender and red with a white bloom, smooth.
Bark: Deeply ridged and furrowed, hard, dark red to black, does not shed.
Form: A medium to large tree to 100 feet, usually slender and may have drooping branches.
Looks like: shining gum - blue gum - river red gum - sugargum

Additional Range Information: Eucalyptus sideroxylon is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material © 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information