| Spotted Gum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Corymbia |
| Species: | C. maculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Corymbia maculata (Hook.) K.D. Hill & L.A.S.Johnson |
|
Corymbia maculata (syn. Eucalyptus maculata), commonly known as Spotted Gum, is an endemic Australian tree.
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Spotted Gum is a medium to tall tree with a straight trunk, growing up to 70 metres in height. However, there is an old reference to a 91 metre tall tree.[1] Spotted Gum has smooth bark which is white, grey or pink; often with characteristic patches ("spots"). The bark is shed in irregularly-shaped flakes.
The juvenile leaves are glossy green and elliptic to ovate, while the adult leaves are lanceolate and are 10 to 20 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide.
It has small, white flowers occur from winter to spring followed by ovoid or slightly urceolate fruits, which are 10 to 14 mm long and 9 to 11 mm wide.
The species was first formally described by William Jackson Hooker in 1844, and given the name Eucalyptus maculata. The specific name maculata is derived from the Latin word maculosus, meaning "spotted" (referring to the spotted pattern on the irregularly-shed bark). The species was transferred to the genus Corymbia by K.D.Hill & L.A.S.Johnson in 1995.
A number of natural hybrids between Corymbia maculata and other Corymbia species have been identified as follows:
Corymbia maculata is a dominant species of open forest in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It occurs on infertile and dry sites and is associated with the presence of shales and slates.
The species is naturalised in Western Australia and South Australia, and in areas of New South Wales and Victoria outside its natural range.
The flowers attract honeyeaters.
The species is often used for planting in parks and as a street tree, however its mature size makes it unsuitable for most home gardens.
The hard and durable timber is utilised for a number of purposes.