Eucalyptus obliqua Messmate or Stringybark Eucalyptus ovata Swamp Gum Tall and straight to 50m or smaller and more branched on Tree to 20m tall. Uncommon on Barrm Birrm. Lower poor soils (eg. dam area). Common. Flowers Summer-Autumn. slopes. Flowers Winter to early Spring. Buds 7-15+ per clus- Buds up to 7 per clus- ter, club-shaped, to ter, cap tapering 7mm long x 4mm sharply to a finger-like diameter, cap small projection, to 9-11mm and dome-shaped with long x 4-5mm diameter. terminal point. Pedun- Peduncle to 14mm long. cle to 15mm long. Fruits distinctive, wine- Fruits shaped like an glass-shaped, not sessile, inverted funnel 8-10mm long x 5.5-7.5mm (conical) with a flat diameter. Valves 3-4, top, not sessile, 7- recessed well below rim. 9mm long x 6-7mm diameter. Valves 3-4 at rim level. Adult leaves variable, broad Adult leaves ovate lanceolate, asymmetrical to lanceolate, and oblique at base, mostly mostly 8-14cm x 12-16cm long x 3-5cm wide, 3-6cm, dark grey- dull-bright green (especially green, sometimes the latter on poorer soils). with wavy margins. Eucalyptus obliqua was the Eucalyptus ovata, first eucalypt named. It E.viminalis and was described from speci- E.rubida are fa- mens collected in 1777 at voured food trees Bruny Island, Tasmania of koalas. E.obliqua, during Captain Cook's E.dives & E.radiata third Pacific expedition. are also tolerated. Juvenile leaves smaller Juvenile leaves for a few pairs (8-12cm alternate, not x 4-7cm), broad, not sessile, ovate to oblique, opposite, not roundish, to 6- sessile, then becoming 10cm x 3-6cm, larger (15-20cm x 6- then long, to 9cm; pictured), alter- 19cm, interme- nate, asymmetrical and diate leaves oblique at the leaf before adult base. Glossy green. leaves develop. Bark distinctive, Bark rough and brown to pinky- patchy to 2-6m from brown (often the base, then shed- with black ding in strips leaving streaks of dried a smooth, white- sap), fibrous, grey-orangish un- stringy, fine/ derbark. Bark strips crumbly, often off less cleanly and deeply fissured, in shorter/wider persistent to strips than small branches. E.viminalis. 20 Dicotyledons .