Eucalyptus resinifera

Eucalyptus resinifera, the red mahogany or red messmate, is a medium to tall tree in the family Myrtaceae reaching about 45 meters in height. The trunk bears persistent rough, stringy or fibrous reddish-brown bark in long strips extending to the smaller branches. Adult leaves are lanceolate, dark green and glossy, alternately arranged on slender petioles, while juvenile leaves are paler and more ovate. White flowers are borne in axillary umbels of seven to eleven buds, each bud with an operculum that is shed at anthesis to release numerous stamens; flowering is followed by hemispherical or cup-shaped woody capsules containing many fine seeds. The species was formally described in 1790 by James Edward Smith and is endemic to coastal eastern Australia from Nowra in New South Wales north to Gladstone in Queensland with disjunct northern populations to Coen, growing on flats, valleys and gentle slopes of medium to high fertility. Its timber is highly valued for flooring, paneling and boat building.