| Swamp Mahogany | |
|---|---|
| E. robusta by James Sowerby, from James Edward Smith's 1793 A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Eucalyptus |
| Species: | E. robusta |
| Binomial name | |
| Eucalyptus robusta Sm. |
|
Eucalyptus robusta, commonly known as Swamp Mahogany, Swamp Messmate or Swamp Stringybark,[1] is a tree native to eastern Australia.
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It grows as a tree to around 20–30 metres tall, with a straight trunk up to 1 metre in diameter. It has long, spreading, irregular branches, and a dense canopy. It has stringy red-brown bark, 10–17 centimetre long green leaves, and white or cream flowers clustered in inflorescences of from seven to 13 flowers.[2]
Specimens of E. robusta were first collected by First Fleet surgeon and naturalist John White, and published by James Edward Smith in his 1793 collaboration with George Shaw, Zoology and Botany of New Holland. Shortly afterwards, the description was reprinted verbatim in Smith's A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland, and it is this publication that is usually credited. Smith gave it the specific epithet robusta ("robust") in reference to the size and strength of the full-grown tree.[3]
Synonyms include:[4]
A number of hybrids have been reported.[4]
This species occurs in swamps and alongside estuaries in a narrow coastal strip, usually within a few kilometres of the ocean, from Rockhampton, Queensland south to Jervis Bay, New South Wales.[2] It is widely planted as a timber tree, and is considered to be invasive in Hawaiʻi and Réunion.[5]
Eucalyptus robusta appears to be one of several key species of eucalypt for the koala in Noosa Shire in Queensland.[6]
Its heartwood is extremely durable, and highly resistant to marine borers. It is used as a round timber for construction of wharves and fencing.[2].Light reddish brown caller & coarse textured wood.Weight is 48 lbs per cubic foot.