Swamp Gum

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©Photo: (CC BY 2.5 AU) Annemaree Docking via natureshare.org.au, Photo: (CC BY 2.5 AU) Chris Clarke via natureshare.org.au, Photo: (CC BY 2.5 AU) Chris Clarke via natureshare.org.au

Eucalyptus ovata

Medium-sized upright tree to 25 m with moderately dense dark canopy. Bark mostly smooth but with a rough stocking for some way up the trunk. Oval shiny adult leaves vary in length from 9-17 cm with wavy margins. Juvenile dull green leaves are oval. Seven diamond-shaped buds per cluster. Long strips of bark are shed in summer and autumn from the upper trunk and branches to reveal grey bark.

Details
Flora Type
Trees
Former Scientific Name
E. ovata var. ovata
Other Common Names
Black Gum (Tas)
Distinctive Features

From a distance the tree has a dark crown that glitters and is shiny in sunlight. Funnel-shaped flat-topped fruit on slender stalks with 3-4 valves level with the rim. Disk raised.
Biology

Perennial. Fast growing. Poor moist soils in a range of habitats including grassland, riparian environments, swampy ground, woodland and forest. Tolerates inundation in winter and dry summers.
Native Status
Native
Flowering Time

Mar-Sep
Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Myrtales
Family
Myrtaceae
Genus
Eucalyptus
Species
ovata

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

The seed and inner bark of some Eucalyptus species were used as a food source by Aboriginal people, as well as the gum and leaves for medicial purposes and wood and bark for fibre. Leaves are eaten by koalas. Important food source for some insects and birds.

Interesting Facts
Native Status
Native