Corymbia citriodora (MYRTACEA) Spotted gum

Spotted gum is a large tree to 40 m on shallow stony soils. An important forest tree, in demand for structural timber and honey production. It features more or less obvious dimples (slight depressions) on the white, silver, grey to pink or coppery bark. Seedlings and juvenile leaves with stiff hairs.

Irregular flowering July-September and November-December.

The narrow-leaved crown is strongly lemon-scented in northern populations.

Has become weedy in various locations where it has spread from plantings.

Attracts Grey-headed Flying Fox, Yellow-bellied Glider, Squirrel Glider, Scaly Breasted and Little Lorikeets, Noisy Friarbird, Brown and White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Koalas, Brushtail Possums, Greater Gliders, Honey Bees, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and Pale-Headed Rosellas.

C. citriodora subsp. variegata is more or less the same, just lacking the lemon-scent in foliage.

Botanists may find the following short key from EUCLID Eucalypts of Australia useful:

1. Foliage with strong lemon-scent, bark mostly not mottled: C. citriodora subsp. citriodora

1a. Foliage not lemon-scented, bark mottled

2. Seedling/juvenile leaves still with peltate leaf-bases at node 10: C. citriodora subsp. variegata

2a. Seedling/juvenile leaves mostly lacking peltate leaf-bases by node 9: C. maculata

The characteristic bark of Corymbia citriodora can be more or less dimpled.

The dimples are mostly shallow (sometimes deep) depressions in the bark.